Second chances
by CrystalPrison
Summary: He didn't know how it happened, or even what he was doing before. And then, when he finally adjusts to what he thinks is new, they came, and it all changed. But somehow, he didn't mind it. Naruto/HP crossover. Some yaoi, one OC pairing, mild language
1. Chapter 1

**Ok....so here it goes. This is a Harry Potter/Naruto crossover. There will be eventual yaoi. There will be an OC. This is all mentioned in the summery...yes?**

**Anyways, this part takes place when in the Naruto world, Sasuke has just turned fifteen, and is soon before Naruto comes back from training with Jiriya. In the HP world, this takes place the summer before fifth year begins.**

**There will be some things modified for both the HP and Naruto world, but I'm going to keep this as cannon as I can, while still going out with my plot.**

**I do have a beta now, or at least a friend who's willing to smack me every time I get lazy, so there will be an update every 2 weeks, unless I can't get to a computer. If that happens, I will update ASAP.  
**

**So without further delay, please enjoy the story, and remember...I don't own Naruto, or Harry Potter

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**

Uchiha sighed, brushing a stray lock of hair away from his face. He gazed at his 'students', who were currently bruised and bleeding. "Not bad..." he informed them quietly, "But if I can catch you, you're far to slow."

With a dismissive wave of his hand, he sent them away. Six of the seven children he'd been ordered to teach left, eagerly scampering away from his cod obsidian gaze.

The last, a boy who was small for his age, with straw blond hair and green eyes gazed at Sasuke for a moment, before offering him a water bottle. "Kabuto-sama told me to give this to you. He said he had a feeling you'd stay out longer than the rest of us."

Accepting the offered drink, Sasuke surveyed the boy quickly. He still had hope in his eyes, and wasn't half the warrior that Orochimaru wanted. He'd need more training, and to see a real battle before he was sufficient.

Waiting until the boy vanished, Sasuke looked to the sky. It was dark now, storm clouds rolling in rapidly. For a long moment, he felt a pang of regret for the village he'd abandoned. It seemed that in Konoha there was always sun, a constant contrast to the sky in Oto.

Taking a sip of the water, Sasuke stretched slightly, and began to walk towards a private area he enjoyed training at, refusing to allow rain to discourage him. He downed the rest of his water, before taking off, a flash of lightning illuminating the area momentarily as he moved.

He continued traveling for a while, rain quickly making the branches he left from slick, and chilling him to the bone. A noise that didn't blend into the sound of thunder reached him, and he halted instantly. He gazed around, Sharingan flaring, looking for the source of the noise, a person following him.

He looked to the left, seeing a silhouette during a flash of lightning. He took a step forward, careful to stay on the branch, as a wave of vertigo washed over him. Instantly he took a step back, pressing against the trunk of the tree as he swayed. His fingers dug into the bark, as he struggled to stay upright. His gaze flicked around once more, and he was suddenly only aware of the world spinning around him, darkness closing in on the edges of his vision, and the ground hurtling towards him.

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Dark eyes slid open slowly. The first thing their owner noted, was the fact he was on the ground, staring up at the branches of the tree. As he attempted to clear his mind, attempting to figure out where he was, a sound reached his ears; footsteps."

"What in the world? Are you alright?" A slightly stern voice asked, even as a shadow fell over him.

Faster than he could consider moving, he was on his feet, back to the trunk of the tree. Eyes wide, he surveyed the woman who had spoken. She was stern looking, with lips pressed tightly together, and was possibly in her fifties or later, despite the aura of knowledge she gave off.

"W-who are you" He managed to ask, sudden nervousness taking over, "Where am I?" He knew they were near a castle, with a lake near it. He was confused, he had no idea what language that they were speaking, only that it came easily to him, words he had no knowledge of swimming to the surface of his mind.

The woman looked slightly taken aback by his questioning, as if the answers were obvious. "I am Professor McGonagall, head of Gryffindor House, and teacher of Transfiguration." She replied, "Who, are you?"

"I'm...I don't know." He frowned with confusion as the knowledge escaped him, "I...I don't remember...."

She sighed, "Very well, I suppose I have no choice but to see how Albus feels we should deal with you." She pulled out a thin stick, and instantly (and much to his shock), conjured a dark blindfold. Before he knew what she was doing, it was tied around his eyes, effectively cutting off his vision.

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The journey, which he only supposed was through the castle he'd seen, was long, and the path impossible to memorize blindfolded. Eventually however, they stopped, and McGonagall was murmuring something. Then there was the sound of something moving, before he was pushed up more stairs, being greeted by the sound of several things moving, twisting and tinkling.

Finally, the blindfold was removed, presenting him with a view of a large office, with nearly every surface covered in objects. A large flame colored bird gazed at him from a perch, eyes oddly intelligent for an animal.

At the desk sat a man who's beard and hair were silver and long, but Sasuke found himself unable to look at the mans face closely enough to look at anything else about him. He gazed at McGonagall, "Pomona told me she saw you with a boy, I presume this is him?" She nodded, "Very well, Minerva. I will handle things from here." Frowning slightly, the teacher nodded, but left.

The man turned, and surveyed his guest, cleared his throat softly, and spoke. His voice was calm and almost soothing, shocking the younger of the two. "So young man...Who are you? And what are you doing here?"

"I...I don't know." The dark haired boy breathed."I'm confus-"

He felt a sudden pressure on his head, and in his minds eye he saw fog, thick and unrelenting. Startled he looked up at the older man, their gazes meeting.

A gasp caught in his throat as he saw azure eyes hidden behind the glasses. A memory, so strong it was frightening, pushed itself out of the fog. It's strength threatened to bring him to madness before it surfaced. He saw a flash of something to color of sun, possibly hair, brilliant blue eyes, blazing with determination that mingled with fear, before slowly bleeding into a deep crimson red. He gasped aloud as pain rocketed through his body, a shout echoing through his mind.

"Sasuke..."

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**Well....there's the prolouge.**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome.**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon  
**


	2. Chapter 2

**Ok....so second chapter...nothing to bad in in yet...si? Echelon and the Social Scene  
**

**so...this begins the part of the main story. It takes place in well...the year after Voldemort dies. I'm modifying some facts...but...I'm making it as believable as possible...there's just a few teeny tiny things in the plot I can't live with. **

**Also...to those who read the last chapter: Thank you. To those of you who added this to your favorites or story alerts...thank you even more. **

**To GinaStar and ****Echelon and the Social Scene: Thanks for reviewing...they make me want to update so much more. **

**so....its summer now...but this will probably not mean faster updates...cause I'm going to a few camps...and I had my notebook on me so much more while I was in school....  
**

**But... without further delay, please enjoy the story, and remember...I don't own Naruto, or Harry Potter

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**

Sasuke sighed, gazing out the window in the owlery. With a soft yawn, he stretched absentmindedly, before resuming the stroking of one of the schools owls. He'd been up there since dawn, and now, the sun was above the forest, signalling another beautiful day.

Without a thought, Sasuke pulled out his wand, transfiguring a piece of paper into a mouse. Another flick of his wand and it was a quil. He continued this process carelessly, picking random things to turn it into, merely to pass the time until breakfast. Eventually, he settled on the mouse form, playing with it, and catching it just before it tried to escape him.

As the mouse became calm, content to sit in his palm, Sasuke allowed his mind to wander to the past few years.

Three years had passed since Sasuke's initial arrival in Hogwarts. Although he'd arrived as a 15 year old, Dumbledore had decided on placing him in the fourth year. The moment he'd shown he could preform magic (a skill so familiar, yet so damn foreign to him) they'd invited him to the school. But they'd known the OWLS would be near impossible as it was, let alone taking it with less than a year to learn. He'd been placed in the fourth year instead, learning to master what he could with extra tutoring.

Sadly, Sasuke had very little indication of who he'd been prior to Hogwarts. His family had yet to be found, and he didn't even know if they were alive. It didn't help that very few memories had returned, and he had nothing to go on. He knew he was fluent in Japanese, words rolling off his toungue more naturally than english, though he had no idea he'd known it. when he was angry his shoulder would throb, a deep burning that coursed through his body (and he would blame it on the tattoo there, but that would be insane) and the burning wouldn't leave for hours, far after his anger abated. He was unatturally silent, when moving, it was so hard just to realize he was there, he'd managed to sneak up on everyone, the ghosts, the teachers, students, it didn't matter who. He never tried to, it just happened.

What was the most frustrating thing, the only unknown thing that truly bothered Sasuke, was the blond boy. He was the only thing from the memories that had any clarity, no matter how remote it was. He could remember vauge things, scorn and firey determination. Fragments of a fight, pain shooting through him, bones breaking beneath his hands, the heat of fire, surrounding, encasing, inside him, energy crackling in his palm. This mingled with something else, motivation, rivalry, friendship, no matter how faint, how rare things like that, that might be good showed up, they were clung to, like a drowning man (because then not everything was bad), and it gave Sasuke a human feeling.

He stood abrubtly, the owl he'd been stroking with his free hand hooting indignantly at him. Ignroing the creature, he began to pace, shaking his head as he did so, forcefully clearing his thoughts.

In the past year, so much had changed. Sasuke hadn't been with the three on their quest for Horcruxes, (though he should have been because they were so foolish, children who needed protection from themselves, but no he had to protect the school, from those 'teachers'), and so much had changed. Ron had never returned to Harry and Hermione after leaving that night. And after they'd been captured by Snatchers, unaware of the Trace of Voldemort's name, Hermione had abandoned him to. For Ron, the realization that he and Harry could never be similar, because despite Gryffindor bravery, Harry had never though of himself, while Ron did more often that not, it was to much of a burden to return. Hermione had been unable to continue risking herself, the torture had told her that, she'd discovered something she couldn't handle.

Ginny however, had remained Harry's friend the moment they'd returned. The year apart had made them to different for love, they'd matured in different ways, but their friendship was stronger than ever.

After that fight, the night Dumbledore died, sasuke had been welcomed more officially into the group. Before, he was just a DA member, but that night, he'd become so much more of a friend. He'd wanted to go with Harry to find the Horcruxes, though he didn't know what they even were looking for, he knew he'd be useful, knowing that he had skills none of them knew of, Sasuke included, and that he could help. Instead, he'd been forced to stay at the castle, and when the tormenters arrived, he'd helped take the lead. Sasuke was always so much harder to catch, rarely relying on magic, and as such, he went so much further than the others.

Then there was the miracle considering Sirius. The 'veil' as it turned out, was a creature, rarely heard of because of the doubt in its existance called a Deithold [1]. Years with dementors had allowed his mind to survive, clinging to that shred of sanity, even as he was tormented. It had been Remus who was to thank. He'd lost his wife, and had nearly died himself, he'd needed a friend, and the veil had taken his only form of comfort, the man who had become an anchor once more, despite their distance before. Remus had gone to the Ministy (and Sasuke didn't blame them for letting him, the angry werewolf had lost far to much, and could have snapped at any moment, it was safer for everyone to just leave him alone), the 'wolf had aimed to destroy the veil, to punish it for what it had done, but instead of the hexes and curses he'd planned on doing, some instinct had forced him to use a different spell, the patronus, and somehow, his will was enough, the curse was broken, the creature destroyed, and Sirius returned.

Then there was Draco, a tentative member of their group. After being save twice by Harry, he'd chosen to stay with them. The boy was scarcely around Slytherins', and constantly avoided people, choosing to be secluded and withdrawn around most. They'd managed to talk him into opening up a bit, and he wasn't really a bad person, merely misguided.

All students who wanted a career with a NEWT grade in Defense Against the Dark Arts had been required to stay an extra year. Sasuke didn't blame them for insisting that, after all, there hadn't exactly been any Defense in the class last year.

Sasuke groaned, allowing the mouse to scamper from his hand. He'd been brooding far to long, and would be late to breakfast. With a sigh, he grabbed his bag, heading to the Great Hall.

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Sasuke yawned as he sat down, sliding into his customary spot next to Harry and another boy from the Quiditch team, people Sasuke rarely bothered to keep straight. He'd just filled his plate when the Quiditch talk began, so annoying, but normal and it was a constant conversation, changing but never leaving. It took Sasuke seconds to figure out what they were talking about, some Oliver Wood offering them tickets to see a match of his, and the boys were unsure if they wanted to go over Christmas holdiays and see him.

Ignoring the conversation, Sasuke looked to Ginny, who was accross from him. "So...enjoying our ever so lovely NEWT year yet?"

Ginny laughed, "I hate it....two weeks in and its horrible..."

Sasuke grinned, "Shoulda stuck with Hagrid...no homework...and its fun."

"Yeah...but I like keeping my limbs attached. You...are freakily lucky....stupid lucky jerk."

"You love me"

She waved a hand dismissively, "Yeah, yeah. I'll let you think that."

He pouted, "But Ginny! How can I live without you? How can i go on?"

She tossed a pancake at Sasuke, laughing as he caught it, "Yeah, yeah...I love you."

Sasuke folded the pancake in half, taking a bite out of it, "Well I'd hope so. I mean really now."

The two continued to talk, comparing their newest essay for potions, Slughorn was being oddly evil this year after all, and soon enough they were joined by Harry. Sasuke looked down at his watch, the little stars never ceasing to amuse him, though this time it was close, "Shit...I gotta go. Hagrid insisted I have to be on time today."

Sliding away from his friends, Sasuke grabbed his books, moving out the doors and onto the grounds. While the others had stopped taking Hagrid's classes, he'd stayed. The more dangerous the creature, the more familiar the rush of adrenaline was, and he needed to be outside as much as possible, it felt more natural that way.

Hagrid claimed that today, they'd be looking for a wounded unicorn in the forest. Sasuke couldn't wait to be among the trees, though he hoped it wouldn't bring them any closer to the centaurs, they never seemed to trust him.

Mere minutes later, Sasuke was outside Hagrids hut. He felt that it was a good choice to leave Buckbeak here, having heard the story, and knowing that he'd be happier where he could have more freedom.

The moment Hagrid saw him, he was handing Sasuke a bag full of medical supplies, before adjusting his crossbow, Fang at his heels. Sasuke dropped his school supplies on the ground, adjusted the bag he'd been given, and followed Hagrid into the forest. Instructions were pointless, he'd been given a briefing the day before.

The search was slow work, the hint of unicorn blood was hard to miss, but only if it was seen, and the forest was to big to make mistakes in. Luckily, roughly fifteen minutes into the search, they found it. A small silver puddle, small drops of blood leading deeper into the forest. Following the trail as silently as possible, they found the creature, scarcely concious, blood dripping from its shoulder to form a puddle around it.

As Hagrid took the bandages, and began to work on the creature, Sasuke looked around. Something was wrong, some hidden part of his mind knew it, could feel it. Sparing Hagrid a quick glance, he bgan to walk around the area, looking for whatever it was that bothered him. something caught his eye, the minute a new scent reached him; a small splash of crimson against a tree, a piece of dirty fabric on a bramble.

Cautiously, he pushed past the bramble, wand raised. A gasp tore from his throught at the sight that greeted him. A boy, who it looked like he had dark hair lay on his side, his clothing ripped, as blood dripped sluggishly from several wounds. And yet, the site of that boy was nothing compared to the one next to him. He half lay on the dark haired one, his hair matted with blood from wounds on his head, his jacked was torn and mud covered, but it still showed several more wounds. He crept towards them, surveying their injuries. Then it happened, the brunettes finger twitched, and Sasuke took a step back.

"Hagrid! Help! There's people out here! They're hurt!" he wished he knew healing spells, one was alive, but the other might not be, and if he was, he doubted either boy had long. His thoughts broke off as a wave of pain rushed over him, and for a long moment, that pain focused deep behind his eyes, setting his mind on fire.

The pain was broked abruptly by the sound of branches breaking and Hagrid's startled gasp behind him.

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[1] Deithold

Ministry Classification: XXXXX (known wizard killer/impossible to train or domesticate)

The Deithold is a hybrid betwen two highly similar creatures, the demetor and the lethifold. This creature has the ability to take the shape of objects (i.e. Cloaks, hats, curtains and most cloths), it should be noted these forms are always black. Although lacking in eyes, a noe or a mouth, the Deithold produces a soft whispering sound by swishing their 'body' slightly. The Deithold does not kill like the Lethifold, or take the soul as a Demntor does, but instead transports the victims mind and body to a limbo, while forcing the body into a comatose state. The Deithold can only be persuaded to release a victim by being given a new one, or it can be destroyed by a combination of a Patronus and the prescense of a strong mind. A person will ultimately be lost to the Deithold when their will to live has been destroyed.

**Well....there's chapter two. And for the record, no...I can't kill off Sirius. He's not allowed to die. And as for Ron and Hermione....they might get redemption...eventually. So...guesses towards who the mystery boys are?**

**and the Deithold...is completely of my own creation...because JKR was cruel for killing Sirius. And it was in the ministry...because they're all twisted, its a good way to get rid of enemies....and it isn't well noticed.  
**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome.**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon  
**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ok....so next chapter....  
**

**Also...to those who read the last chapter: Thank you. To those of you who added this to your favorites or story alerts...thank you even more. **

**Thanks to Thrae and Echelon and the Social Scene for reviewing. And Thrae, if you'd like to use the Deithold, just credit this story for its creation (and send me the link so I can read the story.....)  
**

**so...this update...didn't wanna come. I was at camp...for 5 days, and I'm still exhausted from it. Plus...apparently I write a LOT more in school...which does not bode well for 2 months of summer...  
**

**But...cause all that's pointless at the moment, enjoy the story, and remember...I don't own Naruto, or Harry Potter

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**

As he came to, Shino Aburame was shocked. He didn't move an inch, keeping his eyes closed, forcing himself to feign sleep, unsure of where he was. It was quiet, and warm, much different from what he last remembered. There was a softness beneath him, quite possibly a bed, and it was foreign to him, this comfort, after the torment that had been endured. Mentally checking his condition, he realized he felt stronger than he had since begining his mission, his chakra felt restored, he was fairly certain his wounds were bandaged, and the rest of his body was healed.

Shock and worry flooded him at the realization of his treatment. He had no idea where he was, what was going on or why he'd been treated. He had no clue where his team mate was, and if he'd even survived. The other's condition had been much worse than his own, he'd been more resiliant to the torture, recovering quickly, only to be assaulted again, until the recovery rarely occured.

Cautiously, Shino allowed a few Kikai to investigate the surroundings, using them as his eyes and ears. according to the insects, the mild genjutsu he'd placed on himself was still in effect, and to any person he'd look normal. His glasses, which had been broken into several pieces, were now repaired, resting on a nightstand next to him. For some reason, two other objects, appearing to be broken sticks, also were on the stand. And then, the most important thing was brought to his attention, his team mate was safe, as healed as he was.

Before the temptation to relax could present itself, the Kikai brought to his attention something else, something important. There was a woman in a nearby office, doing something odd with a stick. Another Kikai informed him of a small bag beneath the cot he was on. Moving with the silence only a shinobi could possess, Shino slid from the bed to the floor, crouching as he pulled the bag towards him. The movement took mere seconds, and when the woman took no notice of him, Shino began to study the bag. Summoning the smallest amout of chakra possible, he began to examine the bag. Sensing nothing wrong, the Kikai moved towards the bag at a silent command. Instantly, Shino realized something in the bag was enfused with chakra. Or rather, something similar. The Kikai found this new substance interesting, different than any chakra they'd fed on, despite the amount of opponents they'd faced, it was a heavier energy, crackling around the object.

Deciding the bag seemed harmless, despite the energy around it, Shino opened it cautiously. When nothing happened, he tipped it over, sliding the contents onto the floor. A small red book and a note hit the floor softly, and when the woman didn't attempt to exit the office, Shino unfolded the note. It was messy and slightly dirt smudged, but the writing was mostly legibile.

_'To whomever was found. I have been informed that you are different than many of the students and teachers here. Because of this, I realize that you are most likely uninformed about both your location, and the circumstances that brought you to this school. You are currently at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Of the many students here, very few know of your existence, unless he who found you has told people, although I believe you are fortunate. I am one of the students here, although it is advised you do not look for me. While you may know who I am, you will not know me. However, if you are in need of guidance, the book which I've given you is charmed. It has a modified version of the Protean charm, and you can use it to communicate with a book of my own. The wands on your nightstand are for any use you may have of them. The dark one is redwood and dragon heart string, the lighter is oak and phoenix feather. I wish you luck in your adventures.'_

Looking away from the note, Shino surveyed the book. It was the source of the energy from the bag. It seemed to hum with energy, a soft pulse, as if it were alive. Folding the note and placing it in the book, he slid both objects into the bag, before placing it back under the bed.

Turning his attention to the 'wands' on the nightstand, Shino realized they were practically alive with energy. If the book seemed to have a pulse, the 'wands' would be alive with it. And yet, it seemed to be wrong as well. The energy seemed to be disrupted at the break in each 'wand'. Sliding on his glasses and recalling the Kikai back to him, he continued to survey the 'wands', forcing himself to ignore the anxious hum of the Kikai, their urge to devour the energy surrounding them. He knew the insects would need to feed soon, the mission had been cruel, killing many of the insects, and leaving the rest as starved as Shino had been.

Continuing the silent examination, Shino looked up at the sign of movement. It had been nothing more than a sigh and a twitch of fingers on the sheets, but it was enough to signify the other was awake. "You okay?" The bug user breathed.

"Yeah..." The other replied, keeping his position on the bed. "But...where are we?"

"Hogwarts. It's a 'magic' school" Sensing the next barrage of questions, he continued, "We have a friend somewhere. Someone left a note, explaining where we were, they left us 'wands', although I think they're broken." Something in his mind warned against speaking of the book just yet. "Take this, it's apparently oak and phoenix feather. I'll think they're needed for cover. Another woman had something similar."

The boy rolled his eyes, "Great...a stupid stick...so useful." His voice was sarcastic though he remained quiet. "What do we do now...I mean...after all we went through...we didn't send reports...we didn't find the bastard....what do we do now?"

Shino shook his head slightly, "We do what we are trained to, blend it. We'll find your brother soon. And we're lucky, the note was written in English."

"You mean one of the like...fifty languages we had to learn to translate damn messages we got from spies in Oto?" He was disgruntled and furious, his voice gaining volume quickly. "That's for saving Sasuke! Not a damn school!"

Shino narrowed his eyes behind his glasses, slipping onto the bed, the woman had heard him speak. "We'll talk later. For now, English, and blend in, I've got half a cover-story. Keep calm."

Ignoring the way the other's eyes flashed in his direction, Shino focused his attention on the woman nearing them, an unreadable look on her face. Shino murmured one last phrase in japanese.

"Here goes nothing, Naruto."

**So...yeah...This chapter is like...half as long as I wanted. But, when I was typing it up, it refused to flow, at all. So I'm re editing this. I don't think it helped that I've barely been home, and am leaving again Tuesday...such little time to edit. **

**So yeah, Naruto and Shino. Wasn't expecting anyone to guess Shino (because the way I picked him was random as heck), but thought someone might've gotten him...oh well. **

**You guys will get the rest of this chapter at the normal time...though if I get enough reviews, I could be persuaded to get it out a week early....cause it is already written up and everything....**

**Oh...and if the bugs aren't really called Kikai...well...I read it somewhere, and it sounds so much better than destruction bugs to me. So...yeah...feel free to correct me though.  
**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome.**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon ^_^**

**~CP  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ok....so next chapter....  
**

**Also...to those who read the last chapter: Thank you. To those of you who added this to your favorites or story alerts...thank you even more. **

**Thanks to Flesh Bunshin and **** for reviewing. You guys are awesome like that.**

**So..I'm sure at least one person's gunna say...'hey...its only Friday...I thought she updated Sundays.' and normally...that person'd be right. But..I'm going to Darien Lake tomorrow, and camp from Sunday to Thursday. So...you guys get me now instead.**

**And unlike the previous chapter, this one begged to be written. So...it's pretty long.**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not rich like J.K.R. And I'm not king of random plot stuff like Kishi (seriously...anyone see the new chapter...it was...wow.)**

**so umm yeah...enjoy the party. (we now have ramen and treacle fudge)  
**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

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Madam Pomfrey pulled away from Naruto, seeming satisfied with her inspection. She'd checked them over completely, thankfully checking no more than what she had to. They'd been fed as well, though not as much as they would have liked, because apparently, and not shockingly, they both had severe malnutrition upon entering the school. The cover story Shino had used had been accepted, almost to well for one made up so quickly, and so simply. They claimed to come from a foreign land, the name of which they claimed to no know in English. Shino had told them they'd been attacked by wizards, and that the wizards had worn white masks, instantly drawing from the ANBU uniform back home. They suspected the story had done something right, possibly to well, because a look of fear, pure hatred, and quite possibly pain, had crossed the woman's features. She'd drawn away almost instantly, only to point the stick (wand, Shino reminded himself), out the window. A silver dove had burst from it, flowing away, up, and to somewhere else.

Keeping his gave on Naruto, Shino tugged up the collar of his new robes. He'd been allowed to keep his sunglasses, claiming he was photophobic, but his jacket was not and even with genjutsu to hide his real face, he was felt exposed.

Naruto looked at him, giving a quick grin, though he still looked exhausted. Even with the Kyuubi, Shino guessed Naruto still felt as drained as he did, with chakra levels lower than was safe for anything other that complete relaxation. They both knew if it came down to a fight, they'd be in trouble.

Just as Naruto was about to say something, a new presence entered the room. Two new people had walked over to Madam Pomfrey, one a stern faced woman, the other a man who looked worn out, almost shabby. Naruto cocked an eyebrow, obviously confused at their presence.

The woman introduced herself briskly as Professor McGonagall, the Headmistress of the castle, before giving them options. They had two simple choices; they could leave, which they both knew would let them try to return home, or they could stay. However, staying meant getting wands, something that she claimed might be difficult with their 'previous wands' being snapped.

Naruto spoke quickly to the woman, his eyes and voice light, a hint of hidden persuasion in his voice. "Can we talk about this? Alone I mean? This is kinda a big decision...we can't just do it right away. Ya know?"

Shino doubted McGonagall wanted to leave them alone, wanted to give them time to think, just in case they really were a threat. But Naruto specialized in things like that. He'd changed so much from the bright and sunny looking boy in appearance, but his personality had grown more vibrant, attractive. She didn't look like she could resist those odd eyes looking at her like that.

She nodded her consent, taking the others into Pomfrey's office. The moment they were gone, Naruto leaped from his cot towards Shino. He looked as if he wanted to just go from cot-to-cot, not touching the floor, but his common sense had kicked in, and he walked the rest of the way.

Sitting next to Shino, Naruto gave his familiar foxy grin. "Well Shino? What'cha think? We staying in this castle-thing, or wanna try to get home?"

"The real question, is can we survive alone? I can't tell how much of a difference there is between chakra and magic here…the magic is cloaking everything…if we get into an area with less concentration…that could pose a problem, and we can't afford problems."

"There's civilians though. If Shinobi villages have 'em, why wouldn't these wizards have them. They can't all be 'magical', can they? There's gotta be people who aren't."

Shino nodded in consent, "That might work…but we don't know how far away we'd be from them. If we run into wizards on the way…."

Naruto nodded, obviously giving it some thought. His eyes flicked around, first to the windows, then the doors. "Shit! What if they have spies? I mean…they don't look like the happiest people. If they do…well…that guy in there could be a problem. He's giving off more dog-vibes than Kiba….kinda. He's…wilder. If there's more people like him…we'd be easy to find…wouldn't we? Ugh…this is stupid…what the hell are we even doing here?"

Shino shrugged, "I don't like it either, Naruto. But we need to do this wisely." He sighed, "We might…need to stay. At least then we have only some people who can spy on us. And we can hopefully, find out what happened."

Naruto nodded, before calling out to the others, in English. "HEY! We're staying!"

* * *

The two shinobi moved through Diagon Alley, eyes darting around to survey the shops as they followed their escort. The shabby man, now known as Professor Lupin looked to them for a moment. "You're safe, you know." He pointed out, referring to the suspicion that flashed through Naruto's eyes at the sight of a dark looking alleyway, where people who looked nowhere near trustworthy were shopping.

Shino shrugged, "Terribly sorry. We didn't exactly have a warm welcome here." He replied quietly, "Trusting people here may take time."

Lupin nodded once, accepting the lie of their supposed fear. "Understandable"

Naruto rolled his eyes at Shino, silently commenting on how easily he'd believed them.

Shrugging Shino surveyed the building they were headed to. Narrow and shabby, it had a sign that read _Ollivander's: Makers of Fine Wands since 382 BC_ in peeling gold letters over the door. The only display in the window overlooking the Alley was a single wand lying on a faded cushion in the window. He raised an eyebrow, though you couldn't see it behind his glasses. "They sell wands here?"

Lupin nodded, "Ollivander is one of the best wand makers around. If you want a wand, here's where you should come."

"Isn't it a little…umm…run down…?" Naruto asked hesitantly.

"Yes…but it's the quality of the wand that matters…not the shop." He replied, opening the door.

Exchanging quick glances, Naruto and Shino walked inside as well.

Upon entering, they were greeted with the sight of a man with white hair and pale eyes, who appeared to be sorting narrow boxes into piles. At the sight of them, he moved towards them. "My, you two are definitely interesting customers…" The man said quietly "Much different than anyone who's visited me lately."

Fighting the instinct to preserve their secrets, Shino stood still, surveying the man, "I suppose you're different than people we've met as well."

The man nodded once, murmuring something even the ears of a shinobi couldn't catch, before turning to Naruto. Their gazes locked, and after a moment, Ollivander smiled slightly. "You'll go first." He murmured. He flicked his own wand once, and a tape measurer shot out of a cupboard, towards Naruto.

* * *

The shinobi returned to the school, roughly an hour later. They'd been told to borrow books from the school, because they'd yet to find out what supplies they'd need. However, they had been given money, a small bag full for the both of them, from a school fund for children without access to wizarding money. Being stranded had proven to have benefits.

Shino and Naruto both had wands now, Shino's was something Ollivander had deemed 'odd', being a combination of crushed Acromantula fang and oak, while Naruto's was made of pheonix feather and ash wood.

Now however, they were following Lupin through the castle. Surprisingly, they'd seen very few people so far, something they were glad for. Though they'd never be able to blend completely, being seen now would make it worse.

Finally, they reached a stone gargoyle, where Lupin paused, said "Cockroach Clusters", before following the steps up to an office.

The office was full of odd objects. Many were moving, spinning or twirling, some emitted small puffs of smoke. Portraits on the wall moved, and at once, many pairs of eyes were focused on the new boys. McGonagall, who was seated at a desk, writing what appeared to be a letter, focused on them. Her gaze met Lupin's for a moment, and when he nodded she stood.

"Well boys, it appears you've found your wands, meaning you can stay here. However, there's nowhere to keep you, but as a student. You'll need to be sorted. Once we've done that, you'll return to the hospital wing, Madam Pomfrey has potions for you, and then you'll be sent to your respective houses. By the end of the night, you should find someone to be a sponsor of sorts. They'll be responsible for you, you will attend their classes, is that understood?"

Both shinobi nodded, and McGonagall smiled slightly. "Very well." She moved to a shelf, and pulled from it a shabby and tattered pointed hat. "Which one of you would like to go first?"

Shino stepped forward quickly, instinctively. He was team leader on the mission, and in his mind, that carried over to here. He was in charge, and as such, responsible for Naruto's safety. Naruto's slight shock was almost tangible, but he ignored it, focusing instead on the hat McGonagall had.

The moment it was on his head, a small voice spoke, "My, my. You have quite an interesting story to tell don't you? An interesting past." The voice paused, "Truly interesting, it takes quite a lot of courage, to face the challenges you have, and yet, you have a thirst for knowledge don't you? You need to know everything you can..."

Shino pursed his lips, "What in the world does that have to do with anything?"

"Everything…" The hat replied, "You certainly are loyal to your friends aren't you….you'd make an interesting Gryffindor…but no…you'd need more knowledge than it can give you, more information. They are not your people…"

"RAVENCLAW"

The external shout startled Shino, though he didn't show it, and the kikai buzzed under his skin, irritated with the mental intrusion. Naruto met his gaze curiously, and he shrugged, a silent 'you'll see'

The hat however, had barely touched the blond boys head, before shouting "Gryffindor."

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "Well that was fast…now what's it mean? What the hell is a Gryffindor? And what do ravens have to do with anything? And why the hell their claws?"

Lupin chuckled, "I'll explain on the way to the hospital wing. We should hurry though…dinner is soon. You'll want food I'm assuming…"

Naruto nodded eagerly. "Hell yeah! Do you guys have ramen? I mean the last time I've eaten was…a while…and that was before getting almost killed…I mean sure…we ate a bit in the hospital wing but-"

Shino shut Naruto up with a glare, even behind his glasses, he knew that Naruto could feel his gaze. The blond boy cocked his head. "Naruto…I don't care how hungry you are watch your mouth" The last words were hissed in Japanese, a warning to not only shut up, but to keep their secrets.

* * *

Arriving at the hospital wing, Naruto and Shino were greeted with the sight of people, a boy and a girl, each crouching next to a wounded raven. The boy had short black hair and ice colored eyes, the girl had dark brown hair that fell to her shoulders and hazel eyes.

Pomfrey turned to them both, before flicking her wand. A tray appeared almost instantly next to her, and she was handing them each cups that were full of something. The drink was a green-blue, and smelled of mint. She wasn't giving off any dangerous vibes, there was no hint of a threat anywhere, and so, the shinobi lifted the cups in unison, drinking quickly.

Instantly, a feeling of relaxation the two boys, startling them. They exchanged a quick glance, neither liking the changes in emotions, knowing relaxation in a foreign area could be deadly. In their moment of silent communication, Lupin had apparently spoken to Pomfrey, because the woman was talking to the other girl in the room about their situation. Naruto quirked an eyebrow, and his emotions gave away every question he had to Shino, as if her were speaking, _'what the hell? What happened to secrecy? No ones really supposed to know the real story. What're we supposed to do?'_

Shino shrugged slightly, and frowning ever so slightly, his actions carrying his own message _'Breathe you damn moron. Listen first would you? She mentioned 'Ravenclaw'. She's probably just my escort, not sure. Calm down.'_

Naruto nodded, although he still looked uneasy. Pomfrey had stopped talking to the girl, who had apparently finished healing her bird, or whatever she'd been doing, as it now sat preening itself, perched on a cot. The boy continued working; his bird seemed about half healed.

The brown haired girl gave them a quick smile, before introducing herself. "My names Alexandra-call me Lexi- Rehlem. I'm a Ravenclaw, seventh year. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Naruto nodded, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and this is Shino. I'm a….Gryffindor. And he's a Ravenclaw…"

"Madame Pomfrey told me as much." She murmured, "She suggested I escort him" She nodded to Shino, "To the Ravenclaw dorms. However, if he'd like, he can choose an actual escort later."

Naruto tipped his head curiously, catching the same shift in her tone Shino had. "…Can I come with you at least?"

"No, they're private. Only house members are welcome in each dorm. I'm afraid you'll have to go to the Gryffindor dorms. But we do have to do down to dinner in about an hour, I'm sure you can talk for a bit afterwards."

Shino nodded, "We should go now, I take it? I'd like to get familiar with the school."

After a moment, the two Ravenclaw's exited the hospital wing, Shino's hand resting briefly on the doorknob as he shut the door, a single kikai sliding from his hand.

* * *

Naruto was following Lupin, who was apparently the Head of House, whatever that meant. They were on their way to the Gryffindor dorms, so Naruto could figure out where he was sleeping, before dinner. The man was currently giving him advice about who to pick.

"A piece of advice Naruto, if you want to avoid being noticed even more, I'd avoid choosing Harry Potter as an escort. You'll get more attention than any sane person should want with him there. Though befriending him a bit would be rather smart."

Naruto nodded, his gaze still flickering around, focusing on the paintings, and ghosts that floated by them, filing away any information Lupin gave about how houses worked.

However, as they continued walking, a boy came into sight, appearing from what looked to be a moving staircase. He was walking in front of them, in the same direction, allowing Naruto to survey him, without worry. Long, dark hair cascaded down to the boys lower back, and the only thing that even told him that it was a boy, was the simple feeling, an almost instant knowledge of it, that Naruto wouldn't doubt. However, the boy had something shocking about him; magic or chakra, Naruto wasn't sure which, rolled off him, it was pure and raw and there, filling the air around them. It was also far, far to familiar.

Apparently Lupin knew him as well, because he stopped the boy with a call of 'Pagano'. The moment Naruto caught up to 'Pagano', and met those coal black eyes, his voice caught in his throat, stopping the greeting he'd been about to utter. The other boy gave him a slight smile, familiar and yet _so different._

"It's good to see you're okay…this morning…well…you didn't look to good." He chuckled at the look of Naruto's face, reading his shock that of all people _he_ had found them. The soft shock of the others voice was there as well, the lack of hostility almost paralyzing. "So what's going on now? Were you sorted or something? You're almost to the Gryffindor common room and dorms.." Naruto managed a mute nod. "Very nice…glad to see I didn't help a Slytherin…they're getting better…but not my favorites…" He turned to Lupin. "I'll take him the rest of the way, Professor. I'm sure we can find him a bed, I mean after all, I did find him, I'd like to make sure he's really ok."

Lupin nodded, understanding. "You're both expected at dinner. And he does have the option to choose another person."

Pagano nodded, "I know, I know. We'll behave. But…I won't let the Weasel boy near him…Or Granger…they crossed the line." He ignored Lupin's sigh. "So…who're you?"

"Naruto…" He managed to say, calmly, "Naruto Uzumaki"

"Nice to meet you, Naruto, I'm Sasuke…Sasuke Pagano."

There was nothing in those eyes, no recognition, no brotherhood, not even hatred that would have felt so good right now. Just the look of someone who'd truly never known Naruto, never known Konoha, never known the life of a shinobi. Sasuke's hatred of him, was finally gone. And Naruto didn't know if he should laugh, scream, or cry.

* * *

**And there….is the chappie….ain't it wonderful. So yeah…kinda long this time….I think….and it's my baby…cause I wrote it at JCC camp…which was oddly fun by the way.**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon ^_^**

**~CP  
**


	5. Chapter 5

**Ok....so next chapter....  
**

**Also...to those who read the last chapter: Thank you. To those of you who added this to your favorites or story alerts...thank you even more. **

**Thanks to FallenHope-Angel, PaddysGal, (everyone hope her computer gets fixed), cardinaru25, and Jaycee81196 for being the most amazing reviewers ever.....  
**

**so....this didn't beg to be written.....but it did ask nicely....and it brought me chicken ramen and chocolate...so it got written fairly easily.**

**Though...well...remember that camp I was off to last time....well..it was horse camp...and we were in a show....was told to drop my stirups....Teddy my horse got spooked...started galloping....I still lacked stirups....he turned sharply, I flew, I landed, and I now have a fractured tailbone and a compression fracture in my vertabrae. So...I'm now medicated...on a lot of aleeve....cause they won't give me meds that actually do stuff. So I'm kinda loopy.**

**But you guys get the chappie...so it's all good....si?  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not rich like J.K.R. And I'm not king of random plot stuff like Kishi (seriously...anyone see the new chapter...it was...wow.)**

**so umm yeah...enjoy the party. (we now have ramen and treacle fudge)**

**Oh...I dedicate this chapter, to aGecko-chica-chan and Terra-kun, for being awesome and keeping me company while I wrote this.  
**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Sasuke groaned to himself, as the blond boy that was _supposed_ to be following him, once more ran off, intent on exploring in some room or another, or talking to a portrait, or a ghost or doing something equally annoying. "Naruto, you God damned idiot. Get your bloody ass back here."

The blond turned to him, and cocked an eyebrow, "Butbutbut....the people in the painting have alcohol...and they're actually....getting...drunk. How is that _possible????_"

Sighing, Sasuke grabbed the blond idiots arm, dragging him away from the portrait, and waiting for the staircase they needed to get back in place. Admittedly, he would normally be a little calmer, a little nicer, but, he was stressed. Any normal person would think it was the 2 foot long essays for Transfiguration and Potions, or that it was because he'd found two half dead boys that day. But no, it wasn't just that, that had barely anything to do with it.

It was Naruto himself. Something about the boy, instantly got on his nerves. They seemed to be like fire and ice, day and night. He wondered if it'd be possible for this to work, without blowing up a classroom or the grounds.

Then, there was the thing that truly agrivated Sasuke was the boy from his memories. Something about Naruto was so much like him, and yet, so damn different. The boy from his memories was smaller than Naruto, less muscled, more broad. Something in his eyes showed someone with a fierce kind of determination, but also held the hint of a reckless boy, a prankster.

Naruto was different. Aside from his curiosity about the castle, he'd struck Sasuke as cautious. He'd entered the boys dorms behind Sasuke, and had tensed up the minute he'd seen Dean. When they were in public, he spoke carefully, he'd revealed no real information about himself when questioned by the Gryffindors in the common room, and evaded those questions he couldn't give an answer to, he'd considered every word he'd spoken to them. When Sasuke had mentioned Harry's map, Naruto had looked interested, but there was no hint of a prankster in his eyes, but another look, one Sasuke couldn't recognize.

Then there was the main difference, their eyes, one feature that couldn't change in this way. The boy Sasuke remembered had bright cerulean eyes. Naruto's eyes were completely different, instead of the shining blue, they were daraker, and despite Sasuke's shock, they held hints of a crimson light. The oddest part, was that his eyes were closer to an animals than a humans, they seemed to absorb light, instead of reflecting it back.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, they made it to the Great Hall. Instantly, Sasuke was glad he had good reflexes, he just barely managed to grab the back of Naruto's robes, seconds before he tried to take off towards the Ravenclaw table. Naruto sighed, glaring at Sasuke. "What the hell, teme? I'm gunna go sit with Shino. Come on, let me go."

Sasuke shook his head, guiding Naruto to the Gryffindor table. "You sit with the other Gryffindors, not the Ravenclaws. If you want to talk to him, we can find him later, but not now..." He pushed Naruto into an empty seat, before sitting next to Ginny. "Naruto....meet people. People....meet Naruto."

Ginny rolled her eyes, smacking Sasuke on the back of the head as she did so. "There's only the two of us....you can give proper introductions you know." She informed him, before grinning at Naruto, "I'm Ginny Weasly, if you see the only other Weasly in the school, ignore his pig-headed ass."

Sasuke exchanged a glance with Harry, who'd sat down across from them during the 'introductions', rolling his eyes. "Fine then, if I must do this properly." He gestured to Harry, "This is Harry Potter, the Chosen-boy-who-can't-be-killed, defeater of Moldybutt the dark lord, blahblahblah, he's special like that....yeah."

Harry gave Sasuke a look, clearly less than thrilled. "Did you really have to do that?"

"Better me with humor, than someone like a not-so-thrilled Slytherin, or a far-to-grateful first year." Sasuke retorted easily "I don't fill the story with fluff, I tell it how it is."

The conversation was cut off as McGonagall stood at the head table. She began to inform the students of a danger lurking in the forbidden forest, that there was something with the possibility to kill nearby, and that it was currently more dangerous that it had been previously. Her voice was stern, a sharp contrast to the lightness of Dumbledore's voice, and Sasuke still felt a small pang of anguish, missing the old headmaster.

Soon enough however, the mini-speech had ended, and food had appeared. Naruto's reaction had been amusing, his face lighting up like a small child's on Christmas day, as he gasped in shock. The shock had lasted about ten seconds, before he'd filled his plate with food, eating so quickly, Sasuke swore he inhaled the food.

After about five minutes, Naruto stopped, and for a moment, Sasuke wondered if the blond was full. Instead, he merely pursed his lips, asking a simple question. "Where the hell's the ramen?"

Harry raised an eyebrow, "Ramen? You mean that crap in a cup muggles eat? That's like...freeze dried noodles and vegetables?"

Naruto shook his head, "No...that's not the good kind. The good kind is the stuff that's made fresh. Like how Teuchi-san and Ayame-chan make it. It's really good....and sometimes, they give out freebies....They...are...amazing."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, pressing his thumb to his temple, as his head throbbed lightly. For a moment, he swore concern flashed through Naruto's red-blue eyes. "Oi, you okay, Sasuke?" A tan hand moved towards him, resting lightly on his elbow. Sasuke swore softly, his head pulsing once more, before he managed to get his body under control, ignore the pain that had formed. "Yeah....just a headache. Used to get them a lot....They've mostly gone away though."

Naruto nodded, though a slightest frown still lingered on his features. Sasuke sighed slightly, something didn't want the boy to worry, but still, he couldn't exactly let anyone else know that. "Yeah, didn't you hear me, you idiot. I'm fine..."

* * *

Sasuke and Naruto had just left the Great Hall, when Naruto bolted forward. Sasuke reaction time, slowed by the pain, wasn't nearly fast enough, and the blond boy escaped, though thankfully, he merely crossed to where a girl (he recognized her as Lexi, from the DA, one of the only Ravenclaw's deemed as bold as Luna, she was also as odd as Luna, but in a different way. She'd had several ideas to help torment the death eaters in the castle, get students away, and she'd been able to pull off tricks that only Sasuke had the skill to.)

Nearing them, Sauske was greated with the sound of Naruto talking rapidly, his words a mixture of japanese and english, though it stopped as Sasuke neared. The blond boy grinned at Sasuke, though it didn't completely reach his eyes, and grabbed his arm, presenting him to his friend, the other boy from the forest.

The boy bowed his head slightly in greeting, "A pleasure to meet you. It must take patience, most people can't deal with Naruto right away." The slightest of smiles pulled at one corner of the dark haired boy's lips, though his voice remained neutral as he spoke. "I've been told you are the one who helped us. I thank you." A pause filled the air between them for a moment, his voice had become grave, and soft, tinged with a seriousness Sasuke had only heard from survivors of the war. "We owe you our lives. My name is Shino Aburame."

Sasuke nodded in acknowledgement of the other's thanks. "I did what any of us would do. I spent last year trying to save lives, I don't plan to stop because it's over. It's nice to meet you , Shino. I'm Sasuke Pagano" Even as he spoke, his head gave another throb. The sound of his name sounded almost wrong, suddenly it didn't seem to represent him. He pushed the thought aside, blaming it on the pain. "I hope you're adjusting well to the school."

"Yes, fairly well." Came the reply, almost an informal tone of diplomacy noticable in his tone, "I must admit some of my....housemembers seem odd however..."

"Odd?"

"They pass judgement on insignificant things." Came the reply, "They treat people who act differently like they're wrong. Where I come from, when you live together, work together, die together-something I know that happened here- differences are put aside. You live with it. You do everything you can for your comrads."

Sasuke raised a brow, those words sounded so familiar, yet he couldn't place it. "I agree." he said softly, "But most people don't. Who were they going after Lexi? You or Luna?"

The girl rolled her eyes, "They mostly leave Lune alone, she was like....co-leader with Ginny and Neville last year. Me on the other hand....well...we couldn't let anyone know I did the diry work with you..."

"Dirty work?" That was Naruto, his voice oddly soft, curious.

Sasuke nodded, giving a hallow laugh. "We had to keep our leaders from getting in to much trouble. We had a constant supply of polyjuice potion though. We'd sneak in as them, to the dungeons, a tower, wherever. Hex the hell outta the death eaters, and run. Or we'd sneak nifflers, the occasional Malaclaw, pixies....anything....into the Death eaters rooms....or Snapes too. So much fun. Those were the days. Course...we always had to go seperatly. To much danger together."

Lexi nodded, hazel eyes holding a glint of mischief. "I feel bad about tormenting Professor Snape though. He really didn't deserve it. He really was on our side."

Sasuke nodded, feeling a wave of remorse. "You're right...If only we'd known.....but then.....things would have changed...wouldn't they?"

"Mmm...." The girl agreed, "Life would be different, Harry wouldn't have known, we could all be dead....he was truly a brave man."

"He should have been in Gryffindor...."

"They weren't his people..." Lexi murmured, resting a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Even the bravest of us aren't Gryffindors. Even Luna....God knows what she did last year, what she endured in that manor. But she isn't a Gryffindor. She's to cautious, you tend to be reckless, and she'd never truly fit in there. Snape would be the same way. They really aren't his kind of people. He was to cunning, to calculating. That's why he was the spy in the first place."

Sasuke sighed softly, "That's it....its far to early in the year for being depressed. We're finally free, we've got new people. Even Dray's on the right side now....I've got a winning bet of thirty Galleons he's with Harry by easter. Weasle and Granger have stopped annoying Harry. Life is good." He turned to the two new arrivals, and Lexi, grinning. "Who's up for a mini-party in the room of requirement. If you and him," He motioned to Lexi and Shino, "are going to be together as much as Naruto and I. Well....we're going to need to know each other well enough to tolerate each other....I stole Harry's cloak on the way out.....and you've never been caught anywhere, Lexi. With or without company. We'll get back in one peice. Let's get started." His grin grew, and the throbbing headache faded.

Naruto laughed, "Hell yeah! Pary with Sasuke!"

Sasuke sighed, Naruto's gaze met Shino's for one long moment, and he swore, they were communicating. It was odd, he envied them, or rather, Shino. He wondered, and maybe, hoped. That he could be that close to someone.

* * *

**So.....this.....was written...while medicated. So if there are any problems, tell me and I'll correct them......but otherwise...hope you enjoyed it!  
**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon ^_^**

**and remember.....reviews are like painkillers....they make life better...and they're addicting.  
**

**~CP  
**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ok....so next chapter....**

**Hi guys! **

**So...I'm assuming not a lot of people read the last chapter, because I only got one review...**

**so Thank you veryvery much to ****FallenHope-Angel for reviewing. You...are awesome**

**Oh...and this chapter was evil to write...because I'm currently fighting a Twilight plot bunny...and I'm not sure who's winning. It's incredibly annoying.  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not J.K.R. And I'm not Kishi **

**But either way....please enjoy**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Naruto groaned silently, twisting beneath the sheets in the four poster bed that had somehow been added to the dorm rooms. Sasuke swore it'd become bigger too. It was _fucking magical._ Shifting again he stared at the ceiling, attempting to clear his mind, maybe try that meditation stuff that Hinata and Neji claimed did wonders for chakra control and keeping your cool. However, he had a problem...

His mind, wouldn't stop working.

He wasn't an overly complex person, most of the time. He knew it fully well. He was blunt, and sure he liked riddles and pranks enough to mess with people. But never, in his lifetime had he thought this much. Not that night after Haku had died, and Sasuke had somehow survived. Not after the chuunin exams, after finding out a family in his village could torture their own, that Sasuke had grown enough to care for him and Sakura as precious people, that another village had someone to hate as much as they'd hated him. Hell...he hadn't thought this hard since failing to bring Sasuke back, since he'd broken his promise to Sakura. That was possibly the only time he'd thought this much. Maybe.

He lifted his head off of the far-too-fluffy pillows, before letting it drop into them roughly, the softest of growls escaping this throat. He'd begun to merge with the Kyuubi over time, the seal disolving their chakras together, and now, keeping his temper in check, while retaining full humanity...was difficult to say the least. The fact Sasuke was involved, the same Sasuke he'd fought for, accepted so much of the Kyuubi's power for, the boy he'd begged to return, who he'd spent so long searching for, only made it harder.

Sighing to himself, Naruto eased himself out of the bed, leaving a shadow clone in his place as he slipped outside the dorm. The common room was deserted, a small fire smoldering, a few papers littering the floor. Disregarding the area, He let his form change, shifting until he looked identical to Kiba. He knew fully well that if he were caught outside, he'd be screwed over. But thankfully, no one would ever know that he was masquerading as the dog-nin. Nodding to himself he slid outside, pushing aside the portrait and slipping into the halls quickly, out of sight in mere seconds, using a burst of chakra to avoid being seen.

The moment he was out of sight from the Fat Lady as Sasuke called her, he slowed, glad of how Kiba's form responded. They were similar enough in height and build, so moving felt almost identical. He'd tried taking Kakashi-sensei's form once, the taller, thinner man's form had taken far to much getting used to for Naruto's tastes.

It took little effort, far to little in Naruto's opinion, to slip silently through the halls, heading to the first floor. One try at the door proved it to be locked, but he was nowhere near discouraged, and merely walked up the wall, slipping out a window, jumping to the ground, and landing easily. Even from his position out here, several floors below the dorms, he could sense the faint thrum of chakra-magic. Momentarily, the boy entertained the though of trying find Shino, the boy was always a clearer thinker, and probably could get Naruto to settle himself.

Rolling his eyes at the thought of going to Shino of all people for help, because the other boy was far to mysterious, and who knew what kind of insight he'd have; insight that would probably creep the shit out of Naruto.

Shaking his head slightly, Naruto began to walk the grounds, balancing easily on the surface of the lake, climbing trees with only his feet, or while doing a handstand, or even hopping up it. He knew training would be dangerous; not to mention it'd probably give Shino a heart attack to sense that much chakra, all at once in a supposedly safe area.

Finally, Naruto found an oppurtunity to distract himself. Wandering into the forest until he could just sense the chakra-magic, Naruto faced a tree, grinning to himself at the brilliance of his idea. Within moments, he was beating the tree, working at it until a rhythm was established, and the steady thud of his fists on the bark matched the thrums of pain that formed from his knuckles. The actions pulled him into a trance like state, and soon enough, he found himself contemplating the details of the impromptu meeting with Shino, Sasuke, and that Lexi girl.

It had been a simple enough meeting. Hell, it was almost like a party in the room they'd gone into. There had been nice, comfy chairs, a table, a bookshelf, which conviently had plenty of things with information on what Lexi and Sasuke talked to them about.

They'd discussed the 'Voldemort' in detail. Honestly, the guy reminded Naruto way to much of Orochimaru. Immortality seeking snake bastard with a minor ego complex. If the guy had shown pedophilliac tendancies, they could have convinced Naruto he was actually Orochimaru. And the Death Eaters...or rather some of them, that had turned out to be using Voldemort only to get power, well, they reminded him of Akatsuki. Let one guy do the work, you get the credit. He knew fully well, that Akatsuki had let Orochimaru weaken the villages before striking.

He and Shino had learned the full extent of last year's plot against the Death Eater teachers. Two students, Neville and Luna had run the DA, teaching anyone willing how to protect themselves, working to form an army to help when the war finally reached it's peak. Sasuke and Lexi had been in charge of silent harrassment, meaning they'd send creatures into offices, charm things to follow them, making annoying sounds, mess with their shoes or clothing. They'd done anything possible to drive them crazy, put them on edge, anything to keep them jumpy.

However, there was one thing about the whole Hogwarts system, that Naruto didn't like, and he could see Shino agreed. Most shinobi were open minded, many lived short lives, so no matter what people did, they tended to be accepted. Friendships were tight knit and tended to be unbreakable, especially those formed from life or death situations. It was different here, much different. Apparently Harry had been best friends with these two people since they were eleven. They'd nearly died together, nearly lost their souls together, they'd been the most important people in each others lives. For a while.

Apparently they'd run into a situation, one, had merely been able to cope with the harsh life a traveling, scrounging for food and money(honestly, it made Naruto want to laugh, what kind of friend was this guy if FOOD could separate them?). The girl had a slightly better excuse, she'd been tortured, badly. She hadn't given any information away, but the moment they were free, she'd left. Personally, he didn't think torture was that bad. Certainly it wasn't as bad as the fight he'd been informed about the year that a Dumbledore guy died, or getting your soul nearly sucked out. Torture always ended at a point, either with death, or before you were to damaged to be of apparently these people had kept others alive for a while, he doubted she would have died.

Naruto pulled away from the tree, it was slightly destroyed and a bit bloody, and a quick glance at his knuckles showed the wounds were healing. He was fairly certain they'd be gone by morning, meaning no one would be suspicious..

Laughing to himself, as he raced back to the castle, he was hopeful. Maybe now that he'd burned some energy and worked a little frustration off, Naruto was hopeful he could sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------Meanwhile----in----Ravenclaw----dorms-----------------------------------------

Shino pursed his lips slightly as he surveyed the book in his lap. He'd gone through several books already, and was well aware it was late, but he refused to sleep. He'd been named team leader for the mission when they'd left Konoha, and as far as he was concerned, the mission had only grown more complex. This would be the only chance to return Sasuke to the village in one piece, once they got the ability to return.

He forced himself not to realize the fact that the boy needed to prove his loyalty, or he could very easily be executed for treason.

Pushing aside the thought, he continued reading. The book he was looking for now detailed magic, how it was used, it's original purposes, exactly what supposedly created it. There were mild similarities between chakra and magic, so it was no surprise that he and Naruto would be able to grasp a bit more than the basics. Wands acted as ways to channel magic, similar to the way hand seals channeled chakra. There were different sections of magic, different things that could be done with it, Transfiguration, Charms, and Healing as well as others, and he was fairly certain it was similar to chakra types. Apparently certain wands were better suited for certain things.

A sigh escaped him, and he marked his page, closing the book. The kikai buzzed angrily beneath his skin. He refused to let them take energy from any of the students, or Naruto. There was no indication of what magic would do to the Kikai, and he knew he couldn't risk it, and while Naruto's chakra levels recovered beyond quickly, he wanted the other boy to have as much of his own chakra as possible, rather than depending on the Kyuubi.

Setting the book down silently next to the bed, Shino's gaze fell to the book, that still pulsed softly; _magic_, he reminded himself. Almost on instinct, he picked up the book, flipping to the last page of it, a blank page. His eyes widened, the kikai humming in shock as he gazed at the page. Before his eyes, messy writing appeared.

_'It's a pleasure to see you're surviving your first adventures at Hogwarts. I do hope you're enjoying yourself. And don't stress to much about what it or is not happening. Things tend to work out here. Of course, if you aren't convinced, feel free to ask away. There will always be answers to questions.'_

Shino closed his eyes for a long moment, fear mingling with curiosity about whoever had written the note. After a long moment, he made his descsion, reaching down to grab a quil and ink, before quickly writing a response. To say the least, he was curious.

_'And exactly who are you? And what do you know of me, and my questions?'_

* * *

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved. They now get cookies too!  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon ^_^**

**~CP  
**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ok....so next chapter....**

**Hi guys! **

**I'm glad my amazing reviewers of awesome have returned! Thanks to , CleverBast and genderless-but-straight  
**

**Oh...and that plot bunny before....is throughly beating me up....it wants to be used....but I will focus...or this may never be finished.....**

**and life is generally craptastic right now....so I don't really know if this is remotely angsty-meh-mood...but if it is...I hope it works.  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not rich. I go to school still. It starts the 8th. **

**But either way....please enjoy**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Sasuke yawned slightly as he plopped into an armchair in the common room, Naruto right behind him. They were waiting for Harry and Ginny before heading to breakfast and another day of oh-so-'joyful' classes. Absentmindly he began checking his bag to make sure he had all of his books and homework. (after all, with free time before his first class, who knew what Naruto would make him do.) After a moment he frowned, picked up a few papers, his eyes narrowing, and swore loudly and venomously, sending several first and second year students scurrying away.

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, turning towards him, "You okay?"

Sasuke growled to himself. "Fine...but dammit. Of course the first classes I have today are Transfiguration and Arithmacy....and of course I still have half a damn essay and twenty something problems by the time those classes start."

Naruto began to laugh, waving at Harry as the boy came down the steps from the dorms. "Really now, homework? That's what has you so worried?"

Sasuke glared at him. "Thanks to Harry...I'm not always on her good student list....he just loves sneaking out to the kitchens...." The glare shifted to Harry for a moment, then back to Naruto. "And McGonagall can be a bitch. Arithmacy....is just generally a pain in the ass too."

Naruto grinned, managing to stop laughing "So you're fucked?" A nod, "Well my friend...here's my advice. Bend over....and take it like a man." The grin grew wider. "I'm sure you're used to it, right?"

Sasukes eyes narrowed, in an instant his wand was out, and Naruto was ducking in a vain attempt to dodge the burst of water that shot from it. Sputtering indignantly, Naruto glared at Sasuke, shaking his head and spraying water across the room. "Stupid Sasuke-teme...." He mused breifly that the other boys heart didn't seem to be in the insult.

Ginny chose that moment to come downstairs, and sadly, right behind her was Hermione. The red head grinned upon reaching them, "What'd he do to piss you off, Sasuke?"

Before Sasuke could answer, Hermione was all but storming over, apparently furious at the misuse of magic so early in the morning. Sasuke merely wondered what would happen if he were to put an irreversible stain on that nice and shiny head girl badge.

As she opened her mouth to maybe take points or give out detention, Sasuke grinned at Naruto, any earlier rage on his features replaced with mischief. He caught Naruto's eye and winked, his grin turning to the slightest of smirks. "I'm so sorry for the mess, Hermione. But I was just trying to clean up our 'mess' from earlier." As he spoke, Sasuke moved closer to Naruto, "I must've lost my concentration....I blame the thought of Naruto being...nice....and....wet." He slid an arm around Naruto's shoulders, his face completely composed, as he hoped Naruto could do the same.

It grew more difficult however, as Hermione froze, the meaning of his words dawning upon her. Her face flushed rapidly, turning her the darkest shade of red possible, so much that Sasuke wondered if it was even healthy, before backing away, and walking out the portrait hole.

Sasuke grinned, releasing Naruto. "Well I think that went rather nicely." He commented, drying off Naruto and his now damp arm with a flick off his wand.

Naruto just stared at Sasuke for a moment, dazed. "Umm...."

Sasuke shrugged, motioning for the others to follow as he guided Naruto to the portrait hole, "What...figured you wouldn't mind pretending to be gay with me....not like we are....and it was worth the look on her face."

* * *

Thankfully, breakfast passed without much of an incident. That is, if one ignored Naruto's complaints about the lack of ramen, and his inability to sit with Shino. The only problem occured when the morning post came, hundreds of owls entering the Great Hall at once, newspaper owls mixing with family owls and school owls, worried parents checking in on their children, the paranoia from the war having yet to end completely.

Naruto's response was fairly expected, as his eyes widened, a soft murmur of 'Fucking hell' escaping him in Japanese as he shifted towards Sasuke, the sheer number of birds obviously unnerving him.

Sasuke had patted the boys arm absently, with the hand that had been scrawling his essay "You get used to it...I spazzed too..." he informed the boy, before returning to his essay, nibbling on a piece of toast.

He'd felt Naruto's gaze on him for several more moments, but thought nothing of it, forcing himself to focus on the annoyance that was his essay. Admittedly, it was harder to focus on something other than Naruto's prescence, which seemed loud, even when he was quiet, and therefore it was that much harder to ignore him than it was to ignore the Quidditch talk. Of course, it was made even more difficult by the throbbing headache that was forming once more.

* * *

Naruto was ready to dance for joy as he and Sasuke entered the Room of Requirement. The day had just begun and it was turning out great, aside from Sasuke's minor homework issue that is.

The verbal teasing with Sasuke, despite the fact it had barely existed, brought back the old Sasuke in Naruto's mind. The one who taunted him, forcing him to get better, but who'd then turn around and do something unexpected, like save his life. The acting thing, which was so random, so unexpected, but so damn fun, had put this new Sasuke into perspective. He hadn't expected it to be like this, to see the other so damn happy. Naruto realized the other boy might never have truly been happy.

He'd been in the village before yes, sure, he'd had friends who cared about him. But he'd been surrounded by memories, memories of a dead family and a traitor brother. Naruto realized he didn't even know where the Uchiha had stayed, if he'd had an appartment, or did he go back _there?_ Did he sleep in that same compound that had been bathed in the blood and bodies of his relatives?

Then there was his time in Sound, Naruto knew the other boy hadn't been happy there. He'd been free of the memories, he'd had his power, but there'd been no one there to support him, to care for him and mean it. Sure, Naruto knew their team was a bit disfunctional, but they'd all cared, and that really did matter.

His gaze darted to the door as in walked that Lexi-girl, followed by Shino. Before the other boy could say so much as a word of greeting to Sasuke, who sat working furiously on the neglected homework, Naruto was grabbing him and dragging him away, towards a table that held a stack of paper and pens.

Shoving Shino into the chair, Naruto took the other and he began to write, his words a messy scrawl. He needed no explanation, Shino could figure it out

_'Any new information? I haven't gotten much yet, aside from the fact security sucks around here.....'_

_'A bit, magic and chakra have quite a few similarities. Any chakra use will probably be confused with magic, I can't see them noticing it without a prompt. Security isn't tense around here now, but it can be intensified without much notice, and it's fairly drastic. Apparently just about everything here has a defense purpose. The forest is apparently full of threats as well, man eating creatures and those who just don't like us. They might have demons here, but if so, they aren't like the Bijuu, and I don't think they can be sealed...'_

_'Just how similar are chakra and magic? Similar enough if I use some shadow clones no one will know? And what are their demons like?'_

_'They won't notice if they aren't near you. But obviously if you're in the same room, they'll probably want the spell. Put it this way, it's similar enough that the Kikai could feed off of Lexi with not a lot of difficulties. There hasn't been a complication that I know of. And these demons are more like...a variety of an entity. Like the summons almost. They aren't just normal creatures, but they aren't just masses of energy. They're something in between.'_

_'Wow...that could be pretty interesting. But, how'd you learn this stuff?'_

_'A book. I think it's one at least. Or a person in a book. I'm not sure exactly how to describe it. I found it in the hospital wing, with the broken wands. I was asking who or whatever it was questions last night.'_

_'Of course...lets actually ask the books for answers now. Let's do it literally now.....'  
_

* * *

**That whole scene with Hermione...originally never existed. But then my net crashed....and stole my writing with it. So next thing I know...I'm rewriting it....and my inner Sasuke jumps up with my muse....and that happens.**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved. They get cookies too!  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you in two weeks ^_^**

**~CP  
**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ok....so next chapter....**

**Hi guys! **

**Thanks to my lovely reviewer !!! YOU ARE AMAZING!!!!  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not rich. I'm still in school hoping to get a semi-good job and try to not starve to death.  
**

**But that doesn't matter...now does it?  
**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Sasuke was officially going to grow very bored in the Room of Requirement, very quickly.

Sure...the room could change to do whatever he wanted it to, meaning there was a nice comfy couch, and he and Lexi were playing a game of wizards chess. Yeah, Winky had brought them a hell of a lot of food, while under the orders to tell no one what they were up to. And admittedly, the fact that Lexi was pretty damn good at her work meant that the majority of the shit he needed to have done, was done for once....

but still...they were sitting in the room, and while Lexi was fun, it was still boring to sit there, and watch Naruto and Shino speak to each other quietly, to quietly to hear....

while writing in a book.

It was apparently a group effort, because more often that not, Naruto would try to write something, only to have Shino supposedly glare at him to stop him (Though Sasuke couldn't tell, damn glasses), and before Shino wrote anything, he'd talk it over with Naruto (he thought that is, Shino's lower face was covered by a dark scarf, so who knew?)

Overall, Sasuke knew it'd get boring fast, and that he wanted information. Now

Of course, it didn't help that every time he looked at Naruto for to long, his head would begin to throb. That the pain in his skull that lingered just behind his eyes was becoming far to constant, to persistent, and more painful with every passing hour. But he refused to go see Madam Pomfrey, he didn't like admitting weakness, didn't trust that all the potions and spells were what she said they were. No, it was better to be overly cautious, who knew what people did behind her back anyways...someone could find a way to tamper with things.

A cough broke him out of his thoughts, as Lexi waited for his next move. A book was in her hands, and as she read she mouthed what he could only assume were the words. It was a confusing habit, but she insisted it let her remember the book more completely, and really now, if it worked, who could blame her? The fact she had time to read a book with all the essays and books they were assigned to read, anything to help remember it was probably a good idea.

Finally, three games of chess, a game of exploding snap and one match of gobstones later, the two were finally done, the look on Naruto's face somewhere between slightly exhausted, and supressed anticipation, he didn't bother looking to Shino, doubting he could get any idea of what the boy thought, even if he wasn't wearing all that damn shit on his head.

Naruto grinned, plopping on the suddenly extended couch next to Sasuke. "What were you guys playing?"

"Gobstones"

"What-stones?"

"Gobstones. Kinda like...marbles. Only better. If you lose a point the marbles...I guess you could say they spit...this really nasty smelling liquid at you. Great motivation to win." Sasuke replied, chuckling

"But you guys...are clean....and smell....pretty normal."

"The wonder of scourgify."

"Scourgify?"

Naruto was far beyond clueless. He...or rather...they had some work to do, Sasuke mused, answering the question "A cleaning spell....you two really need to start learning about this stuff...or you'll get way to much attention...and be defenseless."

Naruto looked shocked, "I don't do defenseless, Teme."

"You will here. If you don't know how to use magic....you'll be fucked over pretty damn fast."

"That's a load of crap! We know how to take care of ourselves!"

"Then why did I find you the way I did?" Sasuke replied, voice cold, "You'll learn magic, or you'll regret it. Any methods of muggle dueling won't do anything when you're faced with something like Sectumsempra or Confringo [1]. Unless of course you like the thought of bleeding to death...or something equally as pleasant."

Naruto opened his mouth to respond, but was stopped by Shino. "I agree, it would be a good thing to learn." He said quietly, "But will you be able to teach us?"

Sasuke scoffed, Gryffindor arogance showing through, "Of course. Why wouldn't we?"

"We?" Lexi asked, speaking for the first time.

"Well yeah. He's in your house. Besides....someone has to know all that technical stuff....I just know I move my wand like this, say some words and magic happens. I hope you know more than that..." The girl nodded, "Good. Then we need to start lessons. I hope no one has plans for a late night date?" Receiving no answer, Sasuke grinned, slightly sadistic, "Then let the lessons begin."

* * *

Three hours later, Naruto groaned loudly, "These books are boring!!! Why the heck do we even have to read these? We don't need to know the theories or anything behind magic! Lets just start doing it!"

"And then you'll end up putting to much force behind a spell, and instead of levitating a feather you'll put the couch through the roof." Lexi replied quietly, but sternly "Theory only lasts so long. You'll get to the rest of it eventually."

Naruto sighed, "But I'm not a book person! I get so much more out of just doing it! Practice is how you learn stuff, not reading about it!"

"Shut up and read, Naruto." Shino said, or rather ordered. He'd worked through the books much faster than Naruto, in true Ravenclaw style, and was now picking through them for bits of information, appearing to look for something, though he asked no questions.

Sasuke chuckled, "I say we let him do something. Something simple, that he can't do that much damage with. I say we give him a feather and make him levitate it. See what happens then."

"You're fixing anything he breaks." Lexi responed.

Nodding, Sasuke chuckled, "Okay, Naruto. Wand out. Here's what you're going to do, its really simple for you, just a swish-and-flick movement. While you do that, you say '_Wingardium Leviosa'. _Just like that. The pronunciation, the movement. Everything has to be precise. Okay? It's going to go....like this." A quick demonstration later, the spell spoken aloud for Naruto's sake, Sasuke turned to the blond. "Well...you ready to try?"

Naruto nodded, blue eyes determined. "Right! Let's see here..." He looked to his feather. "Wingardium Leviosa!" Much to the boys happiness, his feather floated up quickly, hitting the ceiling almost instantly. However, with it, several books, a few tables and the chair Lexi had been sitting on and forced to jump off of had hit the ceiling as well, the tables and chair breaking upon impact.

Naruto grinned, nervously, "Oops?"

* * *

[1] Blasting curse

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved. They get cookies too! There is now soda involved in the giving of the cookies!!!! ^_^  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you!**

**~CP  
**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ok....so chapter...what're we on? 9? I think?  
**

**Hi guys! **

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers: , CarnivorousOak, FallenHope-Angel and xXxJaycee81196xXx **

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm not rich. I'm poor...and cold.**

**But apparently my story has random funny moments....that have caused someone pain due to laughter. If this happens...you can't sue me, Kaykay?  
**

**On with the chapter!!!  
**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the blond boy who insisted on being a complete nusience. First, the idiot had insisted on not learning magic, then he'd agreed to, only to wind up nearly sending half the room of requirement through the ceiling, of course, he'd made a pest of himself for the rest of the night, and now he'd settled himself on Sasuke's bed, flipping through his photo album, muttering comments in Japanese.

Of course, everyone sane was asleep, leaving Sasuke to deal with him alone.

"Why exactly....are you on my bed?....looking through that...now?" Sasuke asked softly

"It's obvious...isn't it?" Naruto replied, not trying to be quiet. "If I'm on my bed over there....and then I have a question...I've just gotta be that much louder to ask it." He grinned, "And I doubt you want it to be your fault that they all wake up and wanna.....what's the term...? Hex you?"

Sasuke glared at him, casting a silencing jutsu around them. "Yes...but now 'I' am awake. And 'I' want to sleep."

Naruto looked at the bed, then back to Sasuke, "There's plenty of room, you can sleep. I'll wake you up if I have a question...."

"Ten minutes. You have ten minutes in that book....then you're off my bed....or you can hang upside down for the night. Understand?" The blond nodded, "Good." With that, the dark haired boy leaned back, letting his eyes close. He wouldn't let himself fall asleep, who knew what Naruto would do? But still...he _was _tired.

Five minutes later, a muttered Japanese question had a half asleep Sasuke bolting to a sitting position, staring at Naruto intently. "What did you just say?"

Naruto cocked an eyebrow, "What's with the dead rats and weasels?" He pointed to a picture of Hagrid and Buckbeak/Witherwings, the hippogriff had a small pile of dead rodents next to him.

"He eats them...." Sasuke replied absent mindedly, still staring at Naruto, confused. Something had to be wrong with him, there was nothing in that sentence that should have effected him like it was. Like he could feel it doing.

Of course, that didn't explain the building rage he felt, the urge to do something, anything. The throbbing ache in his skull returned full force, mingling with his rage until he was nearly shaking.

Naruto sat up carefully, "Sasuke-teme....you okay?" His voice was quiet, cautious, his gaze guarded. "What the hell's wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head furiously, trying to clear his head of the growing rage, forcing himself to focus on something, anything other than it. Naruto's hands were on his shoulders, the blond pushing him back. "Sasuke...what?...calm down. Talk to me...what's wrong? Come on...calm down!"

The other's voice was urgent, and Sasuke willed himself to focus on it, fighting down his emotions. Ten minutes later, the remnents of his episode were gone. He was calm again, though he felt unsteady, unbalanced. He was fairly certain the only thing keeping him sitting upright were Naruto's hands on his shoulders. The blond had forced himself closer to him, to close really, he was practically in Sasuke's lap, thanks to his efforts to calm him down.

"You okay, Sasuke?"

"Yeah...." The real answer was no, how could he be. He'd completely lost control of himself, because of nothing.

"You don't look it." Naruto replied, moving to sit next to Sasuke, "You look like shit....what the hell was that...?"

"I...don't know. Nothing good...I just got angry. I don't know what it was though...I just....lost control."

"Was it something I said?"

"What could it have been?...you were just asking about a picture."

Sasuke looked past Naruto, to the book that had fallen to the floor. A flash of something, recognition...or confusion, Sasuke couldn't tell which, flashed through the other's eyes. "It doesn't matter anyways, Naruto. I'll be fine in the morning. I think I just need some sleep. I'll see you in the morning..."

Naruto nodded, seeming unsurprised by the abrupt dismisal as he slipped off Sasuke's bed, picking up the photo album as he did. "See ya then, I guess."

Sasuke nodded, closing the curtains around his bed, never noticing Naruto slide the picture from his spot in the album.

* * *

Sasuke awoke the next morning, wishing he could just go back to bed. He was fairly certain he'd gotten about three hours of sleep at the most, and even that was filled with nightmares, blood, bodies lining the streets, and dark crimson eyes. His chest ached with the rough sorrow caused by his dreams, leaving him unsettled and irritable.

Picking up his wand, Sasuke conjured a mirror, sighing at his reflection. Dark bags had formed under his eyes and he was, if possible, paler than he normally was. In short, he looked hideous.

Focusing for a moment, he aimed his wand at his face, the bags under his eyes reducing themselves to the faintest of shadows, his color returning to normal. It was satisfying that even if he felt horrible and emotional, nobody would be able to guess it.

Throwing open the hangings to his four poster bed, Sasuke looked over to Naruto's, mildly shocked to see the other's bed was empty, he hadn't seemed to be such an early riser the day before.

Shrugging it off, Sasuke dressed quickly, heading to the common room. Harry and Naruto were talking already, and Ginny was just joining them as well. Ignoring his friends semi-confused looks as to why he was the last one up, Sasuke led the way to the Great Hall, listening to Harry and Naruto's mindless chatter.

By the time the group entered the Hall, it was packed, most students were already eating and the rest were finding seats. Naruto waved them off, telling them he'd join them in a minute, before heading to the Ravenclaw table.

Sasuke had just finished piling food onto his plate, hoping to get some energy from it, when Naruto joined the group, plopping next to him. stacking as much food as possible onto his plate, Naruto grinned at Sasuke, "So....what're our plans for today?"

"Charms, Arithmacy, a break period and then lunch. Why? You have plans?"

"Nah...just gotta know what I'm attempting to learn. What was it I was learning yesterday?"

"Charms...and you are not touching your wand in any class." Momentarily, Sasuke was astounded at just how easy it was to act normal around Naruto. The boy could draw a response out of him at any time.

Ginny laughed, "Why? Did he blow something up?"

"Half the Room of Requirement....was about to break through the roof."

"No it didn't!" Naruto protested

"Fine then, more than half."

Naruto smacked him on the back of the head, frowning when Sasuke retaliated. "Teme."

* * *

Naruto looked around the Charms classroom, curiously. After his mishap yesterday, he wanted to see what he could do if he managed to do it the right way. He smiled lightly seeing Shino in the room as well. To anyone else, the shinobi would have looked relaxed, but Naruto doubted it was true. Shino was far to paranoid, and he doubted his note had made it any better.

Frowning when Sasuke sat down at a table on the opposite side of the room, Naruto walked over to his friend, if only 'just to say hi'. Shino nodded once in greeting, and held out his hand. The moment they appeared to shake hands, a small folded up piece of paper was pressed against his palm. Shino may have looked calm, but he was always about business, meaning this would do much more than just say hi.

Sitting, next to Sasuke, Naruto surveyed the paper before unfolding it quickly, Naruto grinned. It was a code often used in Konoha for small, unimportant notes. Most shinobi knew the code by heart, making it horrible for secrecy, but it was great for keeping secrets from civilians.

_'Only you could manage to slip up about weasels and somehow give the Uchiha an emotional flashback from a life he doesn't remember, Naruto. I don't know what you're planning to do about this, but do NOTHING until we discuss this in private and in detail. We need to be careful, or else we won't be the only ones in danger. He was dangerous before, and now he has skills that can make him more dangerous. We can't guarentee it's a good thing if he remembers. Meet me in the forbidden forest, tonight, one hour after dinner. Tell no one where you're going. Just search for my chakra, and stay on guard. Remember, Be Careful. Destroy this too, we don't need any code breakers endangering us.'_

Naruto looked across the room, and once he was fairly certain he'd caught Shino's eye, he nodded once, slightly. He knew Shino was right, but he didn't like it. Considering Sasuke as a threat worried him. He didn't want the other to be dangerous.

Sasuke looked over at him, confused, and Naruto crumpled the paper easily and quickly, before the other could glimpse it. "So...this class is fun...right?"

* * *

Naruto raced through the forest at top speed, two clones flanking him as he moved towards Shino's chakra signature. Grinning, he dropped onto a branch above the bug user, who'd settled himself rather comfortably on his own branch. Dropping next to him, Naruto tipped his head to the side. "Well Shino, you got a plan?"

Shino shook his head, "It's impossible to plan for this...there's far to much that could go wrong. We can only guess what will happen with each descision."

"I don't get what you mean. Why can't we just tell Sasuke?"

"We can only tell him so much. Think about all he's done, and all he's gone through. Right now, he isn't going through that. Right now, he's just a teenager who's a little different, but still fairly normal. If he remembers everything, he won't be."

"But...what if he remembers on his own? It looks like its going to be happening soon."

"I know, Naruto. From what you said in that note, if just hearing the word, 'itachi', not as a name, but as a word, gives such a reaction subconsciously, the memories could be coming closer to the surface."

"And it's our fault, isn't it? We're the only things that are familiar from his old life. The only things that could bring them back."

"Yes, it looks like it."

"So we get a Sasuke who knows everything...and could go off the deepend...or...a Sasuke who only knows subconciously. Joy."

"We do have one other option...that you'd be willing to consider at least."

"We do? What is it?"

"Just tell him things, about Konoha and shinobi. We can tell him things like Orochimaru existing. If he asks, we can say his family is dead and what remains is missing. None of it is a lie, but it wouldn't be the whole truth."

"What if he remembers things we don't tell him? What if he remembers the massacre...or Itachi. What do we do then?"

"That's up to you, Naruto. He's your team mate, you know him the best. If anything happens, I can be there, but he won't trust my word in the way he will most likely trust yours."

"What? Why? If he doesn't remember..."

"Part of him does though. If he can remember Itachi subconciously, you might be there to. And the chances of him remembering me are much less than that. What happened with Itachi....was emotionally scarring to say the least. He lived with it the longest, it only makes sense that it'd be easy to bring back. But you, Sakura, Kakashi. You three are there almost as deep."

"Then why wouldn't he remember me?"

"He might...just a little. The way you two act, is just like you used to. His body is falling into old patterns, even if his mind isn't. Soon enough, I'm sure he'd figure out who you are."

"Shino...what if....what if he reacts...badly....to all of this."

"That depends, Naruto. But, if it comes down to it, if he becomes a true danger...then we'll have to take care of him...properly."

"Shino we can't!!!"

The bug user shook his head slightly, "I don't want to Naruto. I don't want to any more than you do. But..the castle is large, there are many people here...and...if Sasuke becomes a danger...could you put his life above those of the innocent?"

* * *

**Alright...so...for those who don't know. The word for weasel in Japanese...is in fact Itachi. So yeah...Sasuke's getting messed up...cause of some rodents. 'Aint he lucky.**

**Oh...and when Shino and Naruto were alone in the forest...that was all in Japanese...but....that's a lotta lines. And well, I feel bad...because sometimes all those lines make it hard to read...so well....thats why they aren't there. Mmhmm.  
**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved. They get cookies too! There is now soda involved in the giving of the cookies!!!! ^_^  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you!**

**~CP  
**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ok....so TENTH CHAPTER!!!!!!!! WOOT!  
**

**Hi guys! **

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers:Kyokoaurora, xXxJaycee81196xXx, FallenHope-Angel, genderless-but straight and dragon_of_the_crimson_sky!!!! I love you guys**

_**Oh...and Dragon_of_the_crimson_sky....since I couldn't figure out if you gave me an email adress to contact you by..I'm saying it here. But I am fully willing to keep in contact with any and every reviewer. And....this goes for anyone....but if anyone without an account wants to contact me...do so at crystalneko ymail .com . Just erase the spaces. And put something about fanfiction in the subject, otherwise I'll delete it on sight.**_

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto. I'm poor, and cold.....**

**On with the chapter!!!  
**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Two days later, Naruto was far beyond nervous. They had to tell Sasuke, and it had to be soon. Tonight. His old friend was confused, and it was getting worse, even in the past two days, it was getting noticed by Sasuke's other' friends. The Uchiha (he would _never_ be Pagano) set up silencing spells at night now. At first, Naruto had been confused when he sensed them, until he released them with Kai, cast a stronger silencing jutsu that covered the both of them, letting Naruto hear him.

And hear him he did.

The boy had spent the night trapped in nightmares, begging someone, anyone to save 'them'. Begging someone else not to kill them.

And Naruto knew what was in those dreams; the slaughter of his clan. His brother killing his family.

It hurt, to realize it was his words that had brought Sasuke to this point. It hurt enough for Naruto to spend the nights awake, trying to soothe the sleeping Uchiha, only leaving his side when Sasuke threatened to awake.

As it was, Naruto was fairing better than Sasuke with their current sleeping patterns. Sasuke was jumpier than before, hints of paranoia flickering in his eyes. He cast charms and spells so he appeared normal, no one would notice, he cast them before he left his bed. The only reason Naruto knew, was because he dropped them when he went to bed. The sight of Sasuke, so effected by something, hurting because of it, set Naruto aching.

It was the other's pain that had Naruto wandering the halls during one of Sasuke's break periods. Portraits and paintings watched him as he wandered, searching for some inspiration, some way to tell the other boy, to get him to believe him. But how? It wasn't exactly like he could just tell Sasuke they were quite possibly from another world, that Sasuke was from there. They were, for lack of a better word, mercenaries, assasins, trained killers. How could he tell Sasuke his family was dead, that his brother had killed him? How could he tell Sasuke the reason his family was dead was because they were getting to greedy, they wanted power, they were sick of merely being the police force, so the village had them murdered, or rather, that Danzo had given the order?

How did he explain that incident drove Sasuke away from his friends, his makeshift family? That it had driven Sasuke to nearly kill Naruto, that five other friends (six if Akamaru was counted) had nearly died in an attempt to get him back? That the only reason they weren't dead was because of a helpful intervention from Suna?

How could he explain to Sasuke that they had been closer to each other than anyone else? They were more than rivals, more than teammates, more than friends, more than family. How could he go on to say that he was a demon host? How could Naruto possibly explain his relationship with the Kyuubi, a creature that had killed hundreds of people?

Naruto groaned, leaning against the wall. The soldier pill he'd taken the night before had erased his need for sleep, temporarily at least, but his mental exhaustion was far from cured. There were to many questions, not enough answers.

And he knew, of course, that Shino was right.

If this went badly, Sasuke would need to be...taken care of.

And Naruto would have to do it.

No matter how much he didn't want to, he'd have to. He owed it to Sasuke, his last act to make sure the Uchiha wouldn't do something he'd regret.

Afterward would be a different story though. He'd probably need to make Shino keep an eye on him...

It wouldn't do for Naruto to kill himself.

What he needed of course, was to just destroy something for a while, just use the rasengan until he was to exhausted to think, until he could just act, to not worry about consequences or problems. It probably wouldn't be a good thing after, but it'd help for now.

With a groan, he continued moving, but in the opposite direction. He had to meet up with Sasuke, for....class. He couldn't remember a time he'd been concerned with classes back home, but this was Sasuke. And Sasuke would need him for now. Someone had to keep him sane.

* * *

The day was almost over, dinner was coming to a close, and Naruto was close to panicking. Sure, on the outside he looked calm, but on the inside, he was a bundle of nerves, mentally flipping out.

He had to tell Sasuke, but his 'soon' was steadily turning into a 'now'. Shino had already told Lexi that they wanted a boys night. Which Naruto knew was just a way to keep her out of the Room of Requirement. Shino wouldn't be in the room when Naruto told Sasuke. He'd be just outside the door, waiting for a surge of chakra, a sign, but he wouldn't interfere until he needed to. This was Naruto's moment, his job, but he was grateful for Shino's willingness to be nearby. He doubted it would get bad, but if it did....It'd be nice to have Shino there.

He wanted to scream when Sasuke pushed away his plate, and stood up. When his own legs lifted him of their own accord, following Sasuke out the door, he wanted to run the other direction. He couldn't be sane for doing this, something had obviously happened to him in their arrival, something to make him clinically insane. He could help Sasuke with the nightmares, could help with everything. He couldn't do this, couldn't ruin the other's life. He couldn't tell the other everything he was missing, everything that made the difference between his happy life here, and the miserable life in Konoha.

But if he didn't....then how would he ever get His Sasuke back? Did he even want the old Sasuke back? The answer to that was yes....but...

He wasn't aware he'd stopped in the middle of the hallway until Sasuke was turning to look at him, confusion written clearly across his features. "You okay, Naruto?"

And Naruto was nodding, suddenly aware of the familiar presence of chakra as it ghosted up the stairs, to fast to be seen. When it vanished, presumably in position, Naruto made himself speak. "Hey Sasuke....I was wondering....wanna talk in the Room today? Just the two of us?"

Sasuke nodded, smiling slightly, and Naruto screamed at himself mentally for what he was about to do, at the reply of "Sure, why not?"

But when the dark haired boy led the way to the room, he followed. Sasuke still trusted him, and Naruto prayed that wasn't about to end.

* * *

The hallway the room was in was empty as usual, though Naruto could sense Shino's presence, and the sight of several insects wasn't a surprise in the slightest. When he followed Sasuke in the room, he thought he might've seen the other shinobi drop from the ceiling, but he couldn't be sure as he shut the door, sealing their existence from the rest of the world.

Sasuke had settled on a chair, looking more comfortable than he had all day, leaving Naruto feeling more guilty than he had all day. "So...what'd ya wanna talk about, Naruto?"

Naruto sat across from his friend, rubbing his hands together nervously. "Umm...well...I have...uh....something to tell you."

Sasuke nodded, waiting, and once more, Naruto's nerves made an appearance. "Well...umm...I..." He sighed, "Okay...Sasuke...you know the umm...nightmares...you've been having?"

"You know about those? How?"

"Uh...yeah. I know about them....and well...finding out is a long story. But umm....I know...what caused them. And you're...fit...a few days ago...."

Sasuke gaze snapped to him, "What? What the hell is causing them? What's happening to me? Tell me!"

"Easy, Sasuke...try and stay calm. And try not to make any....judgments...until I'm done..." Sasuke nodded, impatient.

"Alright...well...Please..please..try and believe me Sasuke...but...you aren't just a wizard. You never have been, you never will be. Before you came here...you were something else...and someone else entirely. You were what I still am, a shinobi...a ninja." He took a slow breath as Sasuke stared at him with unreadable eyes. "You and I were from the same village. We were close....we were rivals...and best friends. But...you....you didn't have...a good home life...to say the least....and....it got to be to much. You....you wanted things you didn't think we'd be able to give you....so you left."

"There's more to it than that." Sasuke's voice was shaky, but sure. He knew.

"Yes....when you left...I came after you...with some friends. We didn't want to lose you, Sasuke. So we fought for you. And it didn't turn out well for our side. But we didn't stop after that....we kept coming after you...we never stopped....we still haven't."

For a moment, Sasuke looked at him. "You aren't telling me everything...This sounds....familiar.....right...but its not....all there..."

Naruto looked away, "Sasuke...there....there are some things I can't tell you. Some things...you need to remember for yourself."

"Then prove it to me....prove to me that you're telling the truth. If you won't tell me everything, then show me this." The other boy was desperate, trying to figure out what was going on, why this made sense, but it shouldn't.

"Then tell me what you remember."

"I remember.....me and....and you? I think. We were....fighting....umm...." Sasuke's face went blank. "It was...bloody...I....there was lightning....and...a blue...something...There was water....and statues...?."

Naruto closed his eyes, he knew what the other was talking about. The most painful of the memories. "Uh...yeah...we were...fighting..."

"There was blood...there was so much.....Why was there so much...what caused it?"

"This..." It took a moment of concentration, chakra focusing in his palm. The rasengan formed for a moment, spinning as he showed it to Sasuke.

A look of realization mingled with fear, confusion and something else formed on Sasuke's face as the rasengan vanished. "N-Naruto....what...what were we fighting about? Why....why were we doing it?"

Naruto looked away, terrified. He knew he couldn't lie, not to Sasuke, not about _this._ "I was...I was trying to stop you, Sasuke....I was trying to help you."

"What was I doing?'

"You...you didn't want to be stopped....You were....you were...trying to kill me."

* * *

**Poor, poor Naruto. Anyone who feels remotely bad for the poor guy....should so totally review. Anyone who feels bad for Sasuke's confusion...should do the same. You still get soda and cookies for it....**

**Remember...constructive critism is appreciated. I accept Anonymous reviews. And all reviewers are awesome and loved. They get cookies and soda too!! ^_^  
**

**Hope you enjoyed the story and see you!**

**~CP  
**


	11. Chapter 11

**HOLY CRAP!!!! I'm updating more than a week early?!?! How is this possible, you may ask? **

**The answer is simple...I...LOVE reviews. And...on that last chapter....I got 10 reviews. Which is..by the way...not only enough to double the amount of reviews I've gotten per chapter, so far. But has also given my muse a sugar rush that is REALLY scary.**

**So..I used that sugar rush well....and updated. Which of course....could just so happen...to cause a chain of a really really hyper muse. YAY!**

**So.....  
**

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers:Kyokoaurora, xXxJaycee81196xXx, FallenHope-Angel, genderless-but straight, CleverBast, Thrae, mangamaniacgurl, TrenchcoatMan, and Sora Hoshi  
**

**And remember....  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.  
**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

"What?!?" Sasuke managed to gasp out, shock and desperation flickering across his features, his hands clenching at Naruto's robes. "I can't have been...why would I...." He paused, despair forming in his eyes, "What kind of _monster_ am I?"

"You aren't-"

"I am! I tried to kill you!" Sasuke snapped. In that instant, his chakra broke free of whatever bonds they'd been under, and it flared around Sasuke wildly, "It doesn't take much to know we were close! Even before now, before this...it felt right to be around you! It was normal! So why the hell would I try to kill you" He demanded, releasing Naruto, "You know the answer...I'm a God Damned monster!"

At that moment, senseless rage overtook Naruto, claiming his mind. A low snarl of fury escaped him, and his hand snapped forward, connecting easily with the Uchiha's face. Sasuke lurched backwards at the blow, and Naruto lunged forward, grabbing the others robes, teeth bared in fury. "Sasuke Uchiha....you are NOT the monster in this room..." He nearly growled, his voice dropping an octave, the points of his teeth growing more pronounced. Any one-time attempt to conceal the Kyuubi's prescence was disregarded completely. In that instant, Naruto was every inch the ANBU, the cold hearted killer, he'd been trained to be and forced to become.

It took half a second for Sasuke to register Naruto's changes, shinobi instinct awakening and merging with survival instincts from the wizarding war. The threat was simple; Naruto radiated danger. Sasuke took a half step back, sinking into an instinctive defensive position.

Noting the other's fear and submission, Naruto nodded to himself, a feral smirk playing across his features, "Now then...compared to me....what kind of monster could you _possibly_ be...Sasuke-kun...?"

Sasuke shook his head rapidly, gaze falling on Shino, who'd slipped into the room silently, observing, before looking back to Naruto. "You aren't a-"

Another snarl escaped Naruto as he moved forward, closing in on the Uchiha, "A demon, Sasuke. That's what I am. What I hold." His voice was low, fingers curling around the other's upper arm, "It's what you were never supposed to know, but you could _see_. What cause so much trouble everywhere. I hold a demon....and we're closer-physically and mentally- than anyone else could possibly be. I'm not just some nice guy any more....because even if I want to be...we're close enough I can't always do that. What do you think about now? Do you realize if I wasn't in control right now...you could be dead? That everyone here could be dead? _No one_ escapes when the Kyuubi's mad."

Sasuke took another step back, fighting against Naruto's iron grip, though he failed miserably. Years without physical training had left him far weaker than his one time rival. "Naruto...let me go."

"Do you believe me, Sasuke?"

Before he could reply, Shino pulled Naruto away from Sasuke, forcing him away quickly. "Calm down, Naruto." He cautioned softly.

Naruto growled lightly in reply, "He needs to believe me, Shino. Even if he gets his memories back...I'm not the same Naruto."

"Nor are you a monster." Shino argued, without missing a beat. "No _monster_ would be willing to give his life for a village full of people who once hated him. No monster would give up everything for the safety of his friends. No monster would refuse to stop fighting, no matter the cost. Now calm down, Naruto."

Naruto pulled away from Shino, looking disgruntled, though he managed to calm himself slowly, murmuring an apology. He refused to look in Sasuke's direction.

Shino however, had no such problem as he turned to face Sasuke. The other was shaken, chakra and magic shimmering off of him in waves, but to those who couldn't sense it, he'd appear calm. "I trust he didn't hurt you?" The question was unnecessary, no matter what Naruto thought, it wouldn't be possible for him to harm Sasuke, unless the other was hurting himself.

"Yeah...." Sasuke murmured, rubbing at his temple absently, "Are you okay, Naruto?"

The blond's gaze shot to Sasuke, "Am I okay?!? Me...you know...the one who punched you? And you ask if I'm okay?"

"Well...yeah...I mean...you don't look so good."

A shrug, "I don't like feeling the Kyuubi's chakra that close to the surface, it messes with my... equilibrium."

"But you'll be okay?" A nod, "Good...." At Sasukes whim, several chairs appeared. "Now explain...everything. Start at the begining. And tell me why you call me Uchiha."

* * *

Three hours later, two exhausted shinobi and one exhausted missing ninja returned to their respective dorms. Not one of them had a worry about getting caught, Shino could take care of himself, and until Sasuke's memories came back completely, Naruto would take care of them both. It was kind of amusing to Shino, how Naruto could go from being furious with Sasuke, ferocious and with a point to prove, to careful and concerned for the dark haired boy.

As it was, Shino had an excuse of his own to make. Thankfully, Lexi, one of the few students who could stay quiet for more than five minutes, didn't seem like the kind of person who would pressure him about where he'd been. But there was always the problem of what other people would say. The last thing he needed was gossip spreading about himself and Naruto, drawing more attention to themselves. And in retrospect, leaving the Great Hall at seven, lurking around for a while outside the Room of Requirement before Naruto's blow up, then returning at nearly ten thirty, probably wasn't the best idea.

Shino couldn't regret it though, because they'd told Sasuke everything. And by everything, that meant the story began with the Kyuubi attack eighteen years ago, and ended with up to the circumstances that had brought Shino and Naruto to Hogwarts. The one timi shinobi had been far beyond confused-at first- but the more they'd spoken, the more he believed. It was as if Sasuke's mind had just been waiting for a trigger, something to give him reason to remember. Now, they could only hope his memory would come back, completely and from his own perspective. Borrowed memories would suffice, but there was knowledge that only Sasuke knew, that could change things drastically.

Personally, Shino had a private and semi-selfish goal for Sasuke's memory being returned. If they were lucky, the Uchiha would be able to remember how he'd gotten to Hogwarts. And, if he could remember that, then maybe he could help with a way to get home. He wasn't made for this world, so similar but so different from his own. The day they arrived in Konoha would be one of the best he'd experience....especially if it happened soon.

Pushing aside his thoughts for a better time, Shino answered the password to enter the dorms, listening closely before entering the common room. It sounded empty, or almost empty at least, and he doubted the one or two people in the room would even care he was there.

The sight that greeted him however, was far different than he expected. For one thing, the noises he'd heard were coming from a sleeping person. For another, that same person was Lexi. For a moment, Shino surveyed the common room. At first, he'd thought she'd simply fallen asleep while studying, her books were open on the table next to him, after all. But he couldn't ignore the subtle factors that hinted otherwise. A blanket was wrapped around the girl, and the cushions were arranged to make a bed like area. She was in a different set of clothing than she had been earlier, these were more of sleeping clothes than anything else. But the defining feature, the one thing Shino felt meant she planned it more than anything else, was a habit many shinobi practiced. When in potentially hostile territory, sleeping with a weapon under one's pillow was expected.

But the sight of a girl, a nothing-special girl, made Shino curious. Just why had she fallen asleep on the couch, most likely on purpose? And more importantly, why had she felt it nessecary to arm herself in a way that she could hex anyone before they could harm her?

He pursed his lips slightly, disliking the questions that arose. A threat would need to be monitored, and he'd need to tell Naruto and Sasuke. Silently, several kikai crawled from Shino, flying to the sleeping girl. They would tail her, and, when they found the threat, they would alert Shino.

No threat could go unchecked.

* * *

**So....more reviews...may cause faster updates....meaning you get more to read...and...I get really happy...and the story gets updated faster.**

**So...what's this mean? Reviews are amazing!!! And, you get cookies and soda!!!!**

**So...hope you enjoyed the story and see you!**

**~CP  
**


	12. Chapter 12

**So....even though I updated last week, this is technically your regular update, cause it's been two weeks since my last regular one....that makes sense....right?  
**

**And....I really hate being sick....or at least, others being sick. Cause half my school district is....and just the cough I've caught made this a bitch to write, cause if a friend said something funny, I'd laugh...then I'd cough, then I couldn't breathe, so I had to stop writing for five minutes....about....20 times. Thats a lot of wasted time...**

**_but...I am NOT sick_  
**

**Anyways....  
**

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers:Kyokoaurora, xXxJaycee81196xXx, FallenHope-Angel, genderless-but straight, CleverBast, Thrae, mangamaniacgurl, TrenchcoatMan, sandninjanaru, Sora Hoshi and NimeLee  
**

**I so wanted to update earlier...but....I can't pop out more than one a week....and....like I said....coughing isn't fun  
**

**And remember....  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.  
**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Shino sighed to himself, agitated beyond belief, although it didn't show on his features in the slightest. To anyone, even another shinobi, his teammates excluded, he'd appear calm, as if it was an ordinary day, though it was rather dreary. The reality was far from it.

To start off, whatever mystery he suspected he'd found last night had only gotten steadily more complex in the passing hours. He'd managed to fall asleep fairly easily, convincing himself he'd need his energy and the Kikai would alert him to any threats. And as expected, they did as much. But he still had no idea what to make of the changes.

From what they Kikai had been able to gather, Lexi had woken up far earlier than anyone else in the house, 4:43 to be exact. But it was what happened after that was a mystery. She was meditating, it was easy to recognize the inward flow of energy after working with Hinata for so long. But the Kikai had sensed more than just magic flowing. There had been chakra, and that alone had sent up red flags.

No one else in the school possessed chakra as far as Shino knew, no one but Naruto, Sasuke and himself. He'd checked every RavenClaw after that, and was working through the others, no other chakra had been found. But they'd felt it on Lexi, chakra moving with magic, merging, becoming one substance. It went against everything else he'd expected and it worried him. Who or what was she that she could manipulate chakra, even to the slightest extent. And more importantly, how could he find out without drawing suspicions to himself and the others?

As it was, he needed to speak to Naruto and Sasuke, and he needed to do it now. Clones could cover them for the day, they needed to meet in the Room. Unfortunately, even that wasn't to happen. The Uchiha had mentioned headaches when he got small hints of his past, the slightest of guesses. When Naruto had made his slip, he'd had a fit of sorts. The only thing that had prevented worse the night before had likely been shock, or the mild bloodlust Naruto had radiated for the night. Apparently that had ended around midnight.

Harry and Ginny had found Shino and Lexi on the way to breakfast, a thin boy with bleach blond Shino had yet to speak with trailing behind them. According to them, last night Sasuke had gotten sick. The other boys had woken up, apparently someone had gotten Professor Lupin, and Sasuke had been taken to the hospital wing, Naruto following with him. Naruto, being as stubborn and loyal as ever, had refused to leave his friend's side, and was still with him, apparently trying to help Madam Pomfrey. They'd tried to get him to go to classes with Harry or even without anyone, but the blond had stubbornly replied that he'd been with Sasuke the most and he just _couldn't_ leave him alone. For some demented reason, the teachers had agreed, for a day at least.

Had they been in Konoha, Naruto would have most likely been punished for skipping classes and a lack of discipline. Part of Shino missed that, many students here lacked much discipline and focus. It seemed that after the war, they had retreated to some lala land, where nothing could happen.

He was, however, grateful for Lexi's apparently healer training, because she was instantly rattling off a series of questions, in obvious hopes she'd be able to help the Uchiha. However, the trio knew very little, only that it began with headaches, and that Madam Pomfrey had mentioned the possiblity of needing to restrain Sasuke so he wouldn't hurt himself. Shino wanted to beat the teens for their lack of information, though it still did't show. They'd been through a war, yet they were unable to gather the simplest amount of information. They placed far to much trust in their medics with no thought to it. No Aburame did that, Kikai were to much of a variable, to big of a part of their systems to be worked around, but also an inconvience for more complex exams.

So it was with a throbbing headache from whatever Lexi was, Sasuke's issues, the stream of information from the Kikai (who were now searching every section of the castle for information) that Shino sat at the RavenClaw table for breakfast. He'd expanded his senses far beyond what he did normally in search of more chakra, only to find his own, and the small hum of Lexi's next to him. He didn't like it, surrounded by so much magic, it was no wonder he'd missed it, such a small amount, consumed by the amount of magic in a five foot radius, it was a wonder he could sense Sasuke and Naruto still. He was hopeful he could tune into the girl easier now, sense any chakra activity she had.

Breakfast went with little incident, until the post owls came that is. He hadn't been expecting anything, really now, why the hell would he? But of course, the Number-One-Hyperactive-Knucklehead-Ninja struck again. And of course, he chose the owl that not only landed in a way that it would nearly knock over his tea, but once relieved of its' letter, moved to a brunette a bit down the table, and promptly began to steal her food, ignoring Shino's mostly emptied plate.

Had he not been in such a bad mood, Shino probably would have laughed, but he had no room for any humor as he opened to rolled up parchment. It was from Naruto, which, considering how few people he knew, wasn't that shocking. The message was written in scrawled japanese, half coded, half not. The translation was easy enough though.

_Shino,_

_Sasuke is definately not in good shape right now. I've got a genjutsu up so the nurse lady thinks everything's good and that Sasuke's just really sick. But we've defiinately got a problem here. He's not in good shape, his chakra's all over the place, I'm pretty sure he's scarred shitless, he looks like he's in mental pain more than phsyical. I don't know though and it's creeping me out. I'm begining to think ALL of his memories are coming back, at once. Meaning I don't know who the hell he's going to be when he wakes up. Or even when the hell he wakes up. Listen man, I could really use your help, but he needs time to hopefully get things a little straighter. Come here, after dinner, or before even. Just after classes are over. Please. I know this is putting the mission in danger, and is probably full of bad things you are completely able to yell at me about, but it's Sasuke. And I can't leave him alone like this. I've worked to hard. So come see us after school....with or without Lexi.....we'll do a genjutsu or something. I just can't let him suffer._

_Thanks in advance, I hope. _

_Naruto_

Shino closed his eyes for a long moment, grateful for the sun glasses that hid his eyes, the only feature that had the chance of betraying his emotions. On one hand, he wanted to be furious at Naruto, for endangering the mission and therefore the secrecy that would be what got them home, for being so damn obssessed with the Uchiha. But he knew it would be wrong. Sasuke was a comrade, and that meant they needed to stick together, no matter how frustrating things got. So for now, he'd wait. He would trust himself to be patient and...

"Shino...we're going to be late to class if we don't get moving soon."

The Aburame forced his gaze from the coded letter to Lexi. The girl may have been the source of half of his problems, but she was right. They had to blend in, and that meant learning. He could always figure this out later, when Naruto's determined outlook would snap him out of it as easily as a punch from Kiba.

Shino sighed again, standing.

He really missed his teammates far to much.

* * *

The hospital wing was not Naruto's favorite place to be, it was almost as far from it as going to Otogakure. The scent of harsh chemicals he would have gotten at home was gone, but instead, it was replaced with the scent of potions, just as overpowering as chemicals, but in so many more varieties.

Of course, that didn't matter much as he twisted slightly on the hard, straight backed chair he'd been sitting on for more than twelve hours. He drew his knees to his chest and sighed, frustration, worry anger and fear welling up inside of him. Sasuke was _his_, his teammate, his rival, his friend, his family. As far as he was concerned, their bond, and the territorial tendencies of the Kyuubi meant one thing. Sasuke was his. And the fact he was hurting, was driving Naruto insane. The pain had stopped showing on Sasuke's face several hours ago. He now lay on the bed, wrists and ankles unnessecarily restrained, as he was completely unmoving. Only the sound of his heartbeat and breathing was keeping Naruto sane.

The medic had no clue what was wrong with Sasuke. Naruto had told her Sasuke got headaches when he dealt with something emotionally stressful, that he'd thought that would be all that this was. It was truth enough he knew there would be no issues, even if Sasuke were to be questioned immediately after waking up. He trusted the other not to tell their secrets. The bonus was that after the war, the medic would have no trouble believing it, meaning Sasuke would be safe, for a while.

His gaze moved to the clock and back to Sasuke, classes would be out soon. Hopefully Shino would be here soon. He wouldn't be able to blame the bug user for not coming, he had few loyalties to Sasuke, after all, but he knew he would. Creepy or not, Shino was loyal to the people of the village, and if what he'd done on other missions was an indicator, he regretted being unable to help on the initial search for Sasuke. He'd be here, Naruto just needed to wait.

He rocked back and forth slowly, watching with trained eyes as the medic came by, doing what she could to treat Sasuke. He was annoying her, he knew, as he asked what each potion, spell or any method whatsoever was, what it would do, and, if necessary, she probably guessed he'd deny her.

He began to hum, still rocking, as he worked to ignore the Kyuubi's inner musings. As far as the demon was concerned, the witch had no right to be doing anything to Sasuke. He was in pain yes, but nothing was wrong with him. And even as she did things merely to calm him, the Kyuubi wanted her gone. To long of chasing Sasuke, of harnessing power and merging their chakra to get him back. So much training and work and so many times to nearly die, only to have someone else be able to help? It was wrong. And the demon in his mind was to firm in his mind set to accept another idea.

Ten minutes later, enhanced senses alerted Naruto to Shino's presence drawing nearer, his witch companion near her. He could hear the other's calm voice asking for some time alone with Naruto and Sasuke. Claiming he knew Naruto well enough that if he was that worried, he wouldn't want other's nearby.

The girl agreed at least, much to Naruto's pleasure, the Kyuubi was to close to the surface with Sasuke involved. One intruder was doable, two, not so much.

They entered to room, the girl heading to the medic's office, and Shino heading straight towards Sasuke's cot. This close, and Kyuubi enhanced senses could hear the muted thrum of insects that matched the other shinobi's heart rate. It was beyond creepy, but Naruto had long since gotten used to it, and so it was also normal.

He waited until Shino was seated before begining his questioning, "What do we do, Shino?"

The other held up a hand for a moment, before forming a series of complex seals, chakra washing over them. "That depends, this is because we told him?"

"...Yeah...."

"Then all we can do is wait, Naruto. Uchiha is strong, he'll survive this."

"What if he's not the same when he comes back to us though?"

"He wasn't the same when he got here." The other's voice was descisive, he'd been thinking about this, "The Sasuke of Hogwarts is not the Sasuke of Konoha. If Sasuke is remembering everything, there is no telling what he will be like when he returns, but I can guarentee you, he will survive this."

"What if I'm not here when he wakes up? What if he needs me? They won't let me stay past today...."

"You'll need to deal with it, Naruto. Make a hundred clones, transform them , have one be destroyed every fifteen minutes so you get information. Keep just one transformed into a fly have it destroy itself when something happens. You need to survive until he comes to, Naruto."

"But-"

"Would the Sasuke you knew have been happy if you let yourself go? Would the Sasuke of yesterday be happy to see you suffering? What makes you think he will be that different now?" Despite the sharpness of his tone, there was something kind in his voice as well, "Naruto, you need to stay focused. Sasuke may be your top priority, but you can not afford to have him be your only one. No matter how important he is to you."

"He's hurting though..."

"As are you....but would you want him beating himself up for it?"

The answer was obvious, Naruto would beat the Uchiha if he punished himself for something that happened to him. Damn Shino, being able to make some semblence of sense out of this shit. It was useful, sure, but it was annoying as well.

"More things are happening than what you've been dealing with today, Naruto. I have a feeling things will start to change. And if they do, we need to be ready. There's only so much you can do for Sasuke, don't worry about the rest."

Naruto managed a half-smile. "Stop making sense, Shino."

"Nonsense, they put us together for a reason, I'm here to keep you in line."

* * *

**So....more reviews...may cause faster updates....meaning you get more to read...and...I get really happy...and the story gets updated faster.**

**So...what's this mean? Reviews are amazing!!! And, you get cookies and soda!!!! (And right now...reviews are as awesome as coughdrops for me....shh....)  
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**So...hope you enjoyed the story and see you!**

**Oh....and to those of you who celebrate it...HAPPY ALMOST HALLOWEEN!!! Not sure if I can update next week as a present to anyone....so...just in case...have some candy too!!!!!!  
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**~CP  
**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey guys...guess what...I really wasn't sick...Nope...just athsma acting up cause I was outta my meds...**

**meaning I really wasn't in denial ^_^**

**Though my best friend did have H1N1...and I was most definately around her when she was incredibly contagious....don't know how I didn't catch that exactly.....just call me lucky I guess?**

**.....and I've now been forced to make a facebook...meaning I have another account to keep up...blah...maybe I should use it for advertisement?  
**

**Anyways....  
**

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers:FallenHope-Angel, mangamaniacgurl, TrenchcoatMan, sandninjanaru, Sora Hoshi and , skytokio**

**Oh...and apparently...some of you have theories on 'Lexi...personally...I'm intrigued...and think you should tell me...Telling me sounds like a good idea.  
**

**And remember....  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.  
**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

Naruto managed to drag himself to his classes, or rather, Sasuke's classes, the next day. And shockingly, the day after that. He was irritable, that much was obvious, and he looked like he'd barely slept in the past three days, but he continued to attend classes, eat his meals in record time, and spend every break period in the Hospital Wing.

Of course, he was also aware that Sasuke didn't have much time to wake up. According to a conversation his clones had informed him off, Sasuke's body was still normal, he was still functioning fine, but if he didn't wake up by the next day, they were going to ship him off to some St. Mungo's place. He'd probably wind up killing whoever tried to take Sasuke away in a Kyuubi-powered rage. He wouldn't mean to, but the Kyuubi was pretty forceful in his opinions, and after his host risking his life multiple times a week for the Uchiha-boy, he wouldn't be going anywhere, any time soon.

And sure, Shino was a strong guy, and sure, the Kikai could kill a man in a matter of seconds, but Naruto highly doubted the other could hold him down in a rage like that. And he really didn't want his "Friend-don't kill, Enemy-kill" senses to get all screwed up and wind up with a dead Shino. Oh no...he liked to other shinobi to much, not to mention that whole don't kill your comrades thing, and he really didn't want to come home someday, with Sasuke and no Shino. He wouldn't last long against Kiba, Akarmaru and Hinata like that. So killing his friend on accident was definately not a good idea.

So obviously the best thing to do was keep one Sasuke Uchiha-Pagano in Hogwarts. Of course, it wasn't like Naruto could explain his reasoning to the medic or Headmistress. He'd wind up in a loony-bin, Sasuke would still be in St. Mungo's and Shino would have to manage damage control while remaining under the radar.

Sometimes, Naruto really hated being stuck with no options.

* * *

Naruto groaned, flopping into the chair next to Shino in the Arithmacy classroom. It was one of the few classes he had with only Shino and Lexi, so there was no reason to appease any of Sasuke's friends by sitting with them.

"You're stressed."

"No shit, Shino. Why would I ever be stressed?" His saracasm didn't even phase the bug user, stupid emotionless bug-ninja.

"I have a feeling you'll be telling me."

"St. Mungo's. That's what they wanna do to Sasuke, send him to some St. Mungo's place." He complained quietly, even as the teacher levitated a thick packet towards them, and instructed them to finish it by the end of the class. "Ugh...I don't need this crap. When the hell am I going to need this?"

"It's just math, Naruto." Shino murmured, as others began working, talking as they did so, "Now what is St. Mungo's and where is it?"

"I don't know!" He growled, glaring at the papers.

"A hospital in London," Lexi informed them, offhandedly, from her position on Shino's other side "It's one of, if not the best magical hospitals in Britain. If they're sending Sasuke there, they have a reason for it."

Naruto spared her a small glare, the answer had done nothing to make him feel better. "Great...a hospital...I doubt they can do anything they can't here...."

Shino shook his head slightly, "Calm down, Naruto." he cautioned, "And think about it this way...all you have to do is wake him up."

"No...really? I had no idea." Once more his saracasm didn't appear to phase the other, who was somehow able to do the arithmacy work.

"Naruto....how have they been trying to wake him up?"

"Magic. Some Rennervate spell...some Finite Incantatem thing...potions...why?"

"Maybe they should try something different?"

"Huh?"

"There's more than one way to wake someone up, Naruto. It's common...you should know how to by now...or at least know it exists...shouldn't you?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow, but said nothing, thinking of a way to wake up Sasuke, as he copied down Shino's answers as subtely as possibly. Shino thought he should know how to, but the other should have guessed Naruto hadn't spent his time reading. So that ruled out anything magical. He'd already tried shaking the other awake, he'd oh-so-subtley 'spilled' a glass of ice water on the other, so that meant Shino must mean a jutsu.

But what jutsu was there to wake someone up? There were jutsu to knock someone out, sure. But he didn't know how to reverse it, they would wake up soon enough after all. There were jutsu to heal, but there was nothing wrong with Sasuke, not to mention Naruto didn't know any. Momentarily, he contemplated the benefits of trying to have a summoning wake Sasuke up, but that would be noticed, not to mention Shino's insistance it was common. What the hell did the other mean?

He grasped the table they sat at for a long moment, taking out his frustration on it. The wood was just ready to give way beneath his hands when Shino stopped him with two simple words, "Release, Naruto."

Naruto complied, letting the table go, and resting his arm over the slight indents. It was several moments of silent copying that the double meaning of Shino's words hit him, and he felt like slamming his head against the table. Kai, commonly known as Release as an english translation. It could break a genjutsu easily, and had been what Sakura used to wake him up during the Sound-Sand invasion. But still, how could Sasuke be under a genjutsu? No one had put him under one.

Of course though, the other had been in pain for a while, and Naruto could easily assume he was reliving his past. Now, he wouldn't wake up. But was it more than that? Was he trapped in his own mind, unable to wake up? The Sasuke he knew had to strong of a will to let his memories keep him down. So it made sense some outside force was keeping his asleep...didn't it?

Was there some way Sasuke had put himself under a genjutsu? Or that whatever had hidden them from him could do it? It was the only answer Naruto could think of, and it made sense too.

Sometimes he was really happy Shino was stuck with him.

* * *

Naruto and Shino were wandering through the halls after dinner. The blond had insisted they eat quickly, and had spent every minutes Shino was still eating, glaring at him until he was done, despite the fact Naruto had been banned from the hospital wing until one hour after dinner. Apparently, the teachers were under the opinion the hospital wing wasn't the best place for Naruto to spend his time, so he had been given a time restraint during Defense Against the Dark Arts by Lupin. It would have been almost funny, had Naruto not insisted on rushing so he could spend more time waiting.

Eventually, Shino decided to break Naruto's stream of complaints. He'd planned to wait until Sasuke was awake, but he needed a change of subject, anything other than what would happen if Sasuke woke up, if he didn't, what he'd be like, how he'd deal with the memories. He was only human, after all, and could only take so much.

"You know....we aren't the only ones with chakra here...." He informed the other quietly, so the portaits couldn't hear him.

Naruto froze for a moment, "WHAT?"

"Calm, Naruto. I'm not sure how, not yet at least." Shino replied, just as quietly, "But I was monitoring Lexi...I wanted to figure out why she acted like she was threatened one night. And the next morning, I detected chakra. It's faint, not good for many jutsu as far as I can tell and it's overshadowed by magic, but it's there."

"...Lexi....has....chakra..."

"Yes."

"How the hell....does SHE have chakra!"

"I'm not an expert on chakra development, Naruto. So I can't explain it completely. But I'm relatively certain there are circumstances...."

"Circumstances?"

"Yes. Think about it this way, shinobi are all different, and yet most of us develop chakra...Since I found out about her, I've been trying to figure out why....And I have...some ideas." Silence was his only answer, "Think about it this way, Naruto. Some people develop chakra pathways at birth. My clan and the Hyuuga are two of them. You are as well. The Hyuuga are born with an ability that relies on chakra, and at birth, my clan are given the kikai, which feed on it. It's nessecity that causes our chakra to develop early. You however, hold the Kyuubi, and it is chakra. The only way you could survive, is if you had chakra pathways. Instances like that, cause near instant creation of the pathways, as a survival instinct of sorts. Most shinobi come from shinobi families though, either clans or just a small family, and they teach special jutsu at a young age, some even have clan based jutsu preformed on them at a young age to give them certain ablilities. Those clans, like the Inuzuka use the jutsu to create chakra pathways, and the chakra circulation allows them to bond with their dogs. They're trained about the mental and physical balance needed to produce chakra the moment they start understanding things, and they're introduced to it younger. They have a fairly easy time developing chakra pathways at a young age on their own. Following me so far?"

"Yeah...."

"Good. Now...I think civilian children who chose to become shinobi are a bit different. They aren't quite like most, because they aren't exposed to chakra quite as much. But if they go through a much more rigorous training schedule at a young age, if they can make that choice early enough, and learn to find the balance, they can develop chakra pathways, and become shinobi."

"Well how do you explain Lee?"

"I think he started training to be a shinobi to late. I've heard he started trying to find his balance not long before he started at the academy. It was to late in his life to start. So he couldn't. Physically he's a shinobi, but his chakra pathways are only half developed. Enough to hold chakra, but not enough to manipulate it."

".....And you think this applies to Lexi?"

"Yes. Her chakra is more stable than Lee's, if she tried, she could most likely manipulate it. But from how faint it was, I don't think she was trained."

"But she has it."

"Yes."

"How?"

"I've yet to ask. Obviously, that would be a little revealing to why we were here. I will ask when I think she will answer without jeopardizing us."

**

* * *

**

Shino and Naruto entered the Hospital Wing silently, the blond obviously still preoccupied with Shino's news. Naruto had begun to walk towards Sasuke's bed when Shino stopped him for a moment. "I'm going to distract the medic. I can't guarentee you much time. But it should be enough to try and wake him."

Naruto nodded, smiling gratefully, before continuing towards Sasuke's bed. He could hear Shino enter the medics office, making up some bullshit story about not being able to sleep. Claiming he kept having nightmares about what happened before Sasuke found them. The medic proceeded to ask an onslaught of questions, and Naruto smirked, Shino knew how to keep a medic busy.

Reaching Sasuke's bed, he touched the other's shoulder lightly. There were no restraints, there was no longer a need for them, the other hadn't moved an inch in the past two days. Taking a deep breath, Naruto drew his hand away for a moment, focusing his concentration completely on his chakra. There was no time for error, no time for second guessing himself. It was this, or nothing.

He touched the other's shoulder once more, letting his chakra flood the other's system for a moment, "Kai."

He didn't pull away for several long moments, he could feel the other's chakra shifting, though his body didn't move. The conversation in the other room came to a close, and Naruto finally pulled away.

Finally, it happened, Sasuke turned his head slightly, blinking at the harsh light of the ward. He cleared his parched throat softly, "Naruto?"

* * *

(While the last two scenes were happening.........)

Harry sat his chair, looking at the desks in the unused classroom that currently held pumpkin juice, butter beer, treacle fudge and a variety of cookies. The house elves had outdone themselves. His gaze turned to the friends he was with, Luna, Ginny, Dean, Seamus and Draco. Thankfully, he knewthe would be no issues over the Slytherin in question. Standing up for Harry against not only Ron but later a group of his old friends had done wonders for the Gryffindor opinion of the blond.

They'd met up a bit ago, just to hang out and talk, after the war, well, some relaxing was still in order, and it was kind of nice to gather around like teens, and generally gossip about what was going on in Hogwarts.

Dean switched the conversation from talk about the Hogsmead trip in three weeks and the upcoming Quidditch game to a slightly more serious one. "Hey Luna....by any chance have you noticed that Shino guy acting odd? 'Cause his friend, Naruto, is not only obsessed with Sasuke, but is generally really, really weird."

"Wrackspurts." Luna said simply, "It's like he's surrounded by Wrackspurts." At Dean, Seamus's and Draco's look, she elaborated, "They make your brain all fuzzy, and he looks like he can't figure anything out."

Seamus snorted, "Ever think that could just be stupidity?"

"In Ravenclaw?" Ginny countered

"And the girl who's escorting him....?...What's her name again?"

"Alexandra....most call her Lexi though..."

"From what I can see, most don't talk to her." Harry replied "Why don't they?"

"A girl started spreading rumors about her," It was one of the first times Draco had spoken, and he had all of their attention, "Slytherins considered seeing how she felt about The Dar....Voldemort."

"What the hell? Why?"

Draco shot a look to Luna, obviously wondering if she knew, "Back in our fourth year....she was accused of murder."

"Her? Murder?" Ginny clarified, shocked

"From what reached the Slytherin end...yeah. Some looked it up, thought she might be...useful. A few bribes in the Ministry covered everything. Her aunt and cousin had come to visit her house. When they got there...apparently her father was dead. No wounds, it just looked like he'd died of long term disease, though all his records were clean. They checked her wand too, and she hadn't done a spell since the year before in school. It's like he just dropped dead."

The Gryiffindor's all stared at Draco as he continued, "Apparently her family didn't believe the Ministry when they said she did nothing. They all thought she killed him, so she was disowned. That's the reason They were interested in her. She's a pure blood, but she chose to live with a Mu...Muggle born."

"That's why no one talks to her." Luna commented softly, "She can act like in never happened, but the cousin who was there, is in our house. And she won't let anyone forget."

* * *

**Alright guys...gimme you comments, questions, issues, concerns, etc. You've gotten one answer...but most likely...a heck of a lotta questions now. I'm nice like that...its good to make you think.**

**And just cause you got that last little bit doesn't mean I don't wanna hear theories...I like theories (and if you think they sound stupid..I accept pms and I promise I won't laugh)**

**Oh...and the part with the little meeting...is cause I realized....that we've gotten no real wizardy input yet...so...I gave it  
**

**Oh...and Shino's little theory thing....is how I think the differences between Shinobi, civilians and well...Lee...exist. Cause really now. We didn't get any good explanation for chakra aside from tree climbing...did we?  
**

**On another note.... Reviews are amazing!!! And, you get cookies and soda!!!! And cause it's after Halloween....discounted candy!! Yay sales rack!  
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**So...hope you enjoyed the story and see you!**

**~CP  
**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hi Guys!! Just a warning...next chapter may be a little late....cause I'm being dragged to Michigan for Thanksgiving (So if anyone has any entertainment ideas for near Webberville....I'd love you forever...)....and I have a drill competition week after....so....I'm not sure how much writing time I'm going to have...**

**But...as always...I will do everything in my power to get you guys your chapter a.s.a.p.**

**But who knows....maybe I'll make history at this competiton too...I did last time...I could always get lucky....I like feeling all special like  
**

**Anyways....  
**

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers:FallenHope-Angel, mangamaniacgurl, TrenchcoatMan, sandninjanaru, Sora Hoshi and , skytokio**

**Oh...and I still want my what-the-hell-is-up-with-Lexi-theories...I'm curious! You guys have created a monster!!!  
**

**And remember....  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.  
**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

**

* * *

**

"Naruto?" Sasuke repeated again, pushing himself up slightly, "What's....going on...?"

The blond boy blinked once, then again, shocked, "That....was all...it took?"

Sasuke pursed his lips, looking mildly annoyed with the lack of answers, "All what took, Dobe?"

That was all it took, the repetition of the familiar nickname, to have Naruto hurling himself at Sasuke. The force of his impact caused the bed to slide across the floor as he hit the Uchiha roughly across the back of the head, and grabbed his shoulders, "If you ever do that to me again, I swear you will regret it, Sasuke!'' For a moment his eyes flashed pure crimson, and Sasuke's own gaze instinctively hardened, and for the first time in years, the Sharingan revealed itself.

"Unhand my patient." A new voice revealed itself, as the two boys' eyes faded rapidly back to normal. Naruto frowned, clutching briefly at the sheets, as a spell lifted him into the air, dropping him on the floor several feet from Sasuke's bed. The medic walked over to Sasuke, and began talking to him, asking questions about how he felt, as Naruto glared at her back.

Shino sighed, offering the other a hand up, "Was that really smart?"

"Yes...." Shino raised an eyebrow, "He called me 'Dobe' and gave me evil look of doom." Naruto muttered, sparing a glance towards the medic who was waving her wand around Sasuke, apparently casting another spell. "He's back."

"How does this warrant you tackling him?"

"It's Sasuke..."

"...I see..."

* * *

It took half an hour, the presecences of Head Mistress McGonagall, Professor Lupin and Professor Slughorn, for the results to finally be deemed believable. Somehow, someway, Sasuke Uchiha, despite his horrendously long unconciousness, was one hundred percent fine. There were no lingering affects, no memory loss, no dehydration or starvation, just the same-old Sasuke as before.

Or so the wizards thought. Only Shino and Naruto, who stayed quiet in the background of the examinations, were able to notice the miniscule changes; the Uchiha's eyes darted occasionally to the door and the window, whenever one of the adults moved to go near him, he'd tense almost inperceptibly, fingers brushing against his outer thigh, the same place many shinobi kept their weaponry.

If the paranoia most shinobi exhibited was anything to go by, Sasuke most definately had his memories back. And now that the Uchiha was finally cleared, Naruto was obviously resisting the urge to grab the Uchiha and drag him away.

Thankfully though, the adults seemed to realize this, and sent the Uchiha on his way, with the mere warning to come back if anything felt wrong.

The moment they were in the hallway, Naruto looked between his two friends, "We...are going to find an empty room somewhere....and have a talk." He informed them.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "And what makes you think I'm going to be agreeing with that?"

"Because if you don't, we'll drain you of your chakra, beat you to a pulp and drag you off."

"And somehow that makes me want to go with you even less..." Sasuke replied evenly.

Naruto growled quietly, the one thing he obviously hadn't expected, was Sasuke acting as conceited as he'd been upon leaving Konoha, he clenched his fist, seeming to debate on punching him. Shino sighed slightly, stepping between them.

"You have information we want. However, in turn, we have information I can only assume you want as well. About your brother, perhaps?" He pointed out calmly, noting the other's eyes flash with the sharingan at the mention, "Memories aren't skills, as I'd hope you realize, if you were to try anything you could once do, I'm sure you'd regret it. Naruto and I, have practice with blending in here. I'm sure, after all, that even you never noticed what we do in the background. Act without us, and you could easily expose yourself." He stepped away, completely unphased by the other's flaring chakra, "Your act won't work well either, Uchiha. You may have once seemed like this, but the one who existed a week ago didn't. And seeing as you still obviously had enough knowledge of the school to remember to act like a wizard in the hospital wing, I'm sure you can remember that." He paused for a moment, "Or maybe...you are a monster after all."

The other flinched slightly, it was obvious Shino's words had hit home. Naruto smirked, "Now then, shall we?"

* * *

The room was a little gloomy, but Sasuke had created several balls of light to help illuminate the room. "Well, what do you want to talk about?" Sasuke asked.

"What do you think, Teme. You've got all your memories back, right?"

"Yes."

"All of them, everything from Konoha, Sound, everything leading up to here."

"Yes."

"Then how the hell did you get here?"

That question caused hesitation, "I...don't know."

Naruto growled quietly, "What do you mean you don't know? You had to get here somehow!'"

"Just that...I got here three years ago...but I didn't do anything to do it!"

The two boys glared at each other, turning away after a moment.

"How could you not do anything and get here?" Naruto responded.

"What about you? How the fuck did you get here?"

"We were under attack. We got away. We passed out. We got here."

"You passed out and woke up here?" Sasuke clarified, "So you have no way to get back then."

"If we could, don't you think we'd be there?"

They glared at each other once more.

"What happened before you arrived here, Sasuke?" Shino interrupted, in a slight attempt to break the tension.

"I was training some brats, once I got sick of them I sent them off. I was going to go train on my own, it was stormy weather, so I knew I'd be alone. I thought someone was following me though, so I tried to go after them. That's when I must've passed out, and woke up here."

"But you passed out." He pointed out. "In Sound."

"Yes..."

"The same country we did..." Shino pointed out, "Though for admittedly different reasons."

"You were in Sound?"

"Trying to leave there, but we were still inside the borders."

"Why?"

"Mission" The short answer made it clear, Sasuke wouldn't get answers until he proved he could be trusted.

Naruto sighed, "So here's what we know. Three years ago, Sasuke vanishes from Sound. Apparently, he came here. But no one knows just how the hell he managed to get here. Something must've happened then to cause it. Then during our mission...something similar must've happened. Right?" Two nods greeted him, "But I'm guessing you weren't bleeding to death when you got here, Sasuke?"

"Right. And I doubt it was the rain's fault either...But that still leaves us answerless."

"But still....at least we have more information..."

"It isn't doing us any good though."

"Shut up, Teme."

Shino sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Several hours later, the boys had split up for fear of getting caught past curfew, though they still had no answers. Admittedly, the fear was only for Sasuke, who would need practice when it came to using chakra, but the other's had their reasons as well. Naruto however, had another reason: He wanted to talk to Sasuke, to get clarification on everything that had truly changed in their relationship, and things that could hopefully remain the same.

The journey to the Gryffindor tower had been almost completely silent. Even their footsteps had been eerily quiet, and neither boy was willing to break the silence. Finally, Naruto stopped, in an area that was blissfully free of portraits. "Sasuke...you know we need to talk. Don't you?"

"We've been talking for hours."

"But not about what we need to Sasuke. You and I...we have issues. And you know that you can't avoid that."

"It's in the past, Naruto. What can you do about it?"

"Stop it from happening again." Came the steady reply. "I don't know who you are, right now! Are you the person who left me, left all of us? Are you the one who thought that one person could give you more strength than a village? The one who thought hatred was stronger for love, even when you did things because you loved your family? Or are you the person who I've been around recently? The one who hated himself for what he did? The one who thinks _he's_ the monster?"

Sasuke turned to him quickly, "What makes you think you can ask those questions?"

"What makes you think you can avoid them?" Naruto replied, furious, "Who are you Sasuke, my comrade or my enemy? Are you going to protect me? Or are you going to kill me?"

"What makes you think I'm either of those? What if I'm different than either of your options, Naruto? What will you do then?"

"That depends, Uchiha. What will you do first?"

* * *

(meanwhile)

Leaving the other two shinobi alone had been a bit of an effort for Shino, but he'd managed to convince himself they wouldn't kill each other, because there'd be to many witnesses. He was hopeful they could refrain from discussing anything major until they met up the next day, and that they would have more answers as well. He'd spent quite a while worrying about his descsion, after all, there was only so much pressure someone could take before they cracked, but eventually, he'd managed to distract himself with something different.

The library.

It had become painfully obvious that Sasuke had no answers for them, leaving them no way to get home. It was just as obvious that they should not be able to do spells naturally, because the magic Sasuke possessed had NOT been there three years ago. Meaning he'd developed it somehow. Only everything they'd been told involved that being impossible. Combine that with the presence of chakra in a supposedly normal witch, and Shino had problems.

So he'd begun his all-nighter by breaking out the special book, the one that let him communicate with someone. Someone who seemed to have more answers than anyone else. The first question was simple. 'What is magic?'. He hoped he could get an answer, one textbooks wouldn't have. Because truthfully, he was begining to find textbooks to be useless. According to the textbooks he'd found magic was quite simply energy. Energy that seemed to pick random people to manifest itself it. But that was it, just the random formation of energy. But it existed at birth. Sasuke shouldn't have been able to develop it. Shino and Naruto shouldn't be able to preform the most basic of spells by merely trying. The wands should be dead in their hands.

He was a shinobi. Bugs lived inside of him. His team mate could have conversations with dogs. The other could see through walls. People could breathe fire. They could walk on water. Very little made sense in his occupation.

But this, took the cake.

Putting aside his questions on exactly what magic was, Shino let his mind focus on the next question. How exactly the damn stuff worked. Because that still made no sense. Focus energy through wand. Wand makes stuff happen. But if that was the case, why couldn't anyone use magic? Shouldn't the use of magic wind up draining the witch or wizard that used it?

Shino sighed again, opening a new book, and looking momentarily at the communication book. Something new had been written in the now familiar penmenship.

_Magic...is magic. Specify._

* * *

**Well...that's that. I actually don't like this chapter...it completely refused to be written. But...seeing as I knew what needed to happen, and I just didn't know how to phrase it...I shall carry on. And if I need to edit it...well...that's always an option too. Right?**

**On another note.... Reviews are amazing!!! And, you get cookies and soda!!!! And American's...happy almost thanksgiving  
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**So...hope you enjoyed the story and see you (hopefully) soon!**

**~CP  
**


	15. Chapter 15

**So....I apologize if I offend any readers from Michigan...but...your state...pissed me off greatly. You don't want to know how badly we got lost, and how crappy the trip was. So at the very least...the webberville area is crap. And it was a loooong competition yesterday....So I'm exhausted.....**

**But...I got the chapter for you guys...and right now...that's all that really matters...  
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**Anyways....  
**

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers: Mitsu-Aya33, ErinHerz, TNT666, Nime. Lee, FallenHope-Angel, killing u with umbrellas, TrenchcoatMan and Sandninjanaru  
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**Oh...and I got a what-the-hell-is-up-with-Lexi-theory. Like I expected....I very much enjoyed it....more are appreciated.**

**And before I forget to apologize...I'm pretty sure this chapter is crap. But some stuff needed to happen/be explained...and this is doing it. Plus...I kinda wanna go collapse somewhere. So...YAY FILLER CHAPTER!  
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**And remember....  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.  
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**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

_

* * *

_

The next morning came quickly, especially for two of the boy's sleeping in the Gryffindor common room. Naruto had been sound asleep at first, until Sasuke's soaring chakra levels had woken him up, only to see his dark haired 'friend' staring at Ginny, who had a bright smile, and a box in her hands.

Seeing Naruto awake as well, Ginny had signaled for him to head to the common room with Sasuke, before sneaking over to Harry's bed as well. Just a few moments later, she returned, Harry's prized invisibility cloak in hand.

"Why the hell did you wake us up at….five in the damn morning?" Sasuke demanded, angrily, though his eyes were amused.

"Well…I got a present from George…you know. He wanted to see if I would test it…give some feedback on what the professors think about…product improvements." She grinned, "And you two, are going to help me."

Naruto thought about complaining, he really did. But this was a chance to see Sasuke do something that had never been none to happen in the history of the Uchiha clan: prank someone. And from what he'd heard about this George guy, the prank would be worth it. "I'm in."

Sasuke nodded, "I guess someone has to keep you from getting caught….again."

"It's not like Flitwick was going to do anything to me!" She protested

"That's one out of how many teachers?"

She ignored him, "Anyways…Since we all know precious Hermione has a exam in Ancient Runes first thing tomorrow…we're going to be giving her…a little bit of stress…"

"Define stress…"

Ginny grinned, "You remember the swamp?"

* * *

Twenty minutes later found the two shinobi and the witch standing a bit away from the Ancient Runes room, hidden beneath the invisibility cloak. They'd told Naruto the basics of the original swamp, that it could apparently be charmed away quickly, that there'd been nothing dangerous about it, as long as you didn't fall in.

This swamp, was completely different. According to the letter Ginny had been sent with it, the only charm to get rid of it was invented by George, so there was no way to destroy it. To make things better, crocodiles who were completely harmless, and trapped inside the swamp, it smelled like a swamp, if you were to step in the swamp (though why any civilian who stepped into a swamp with crocodiles was probably insane) it would have the consistency of swamp water. Overall, it was as realistic as any S-rank Genjutsu Naruto had seen. It was kinda creepy really. But now, with just half an hour before the rest of the school would wake up, the trio returned to the Gryffindor common room.

Naruto was nearly asleep once more, when realization hit him, "Hey Sasuke…think we should tell Shino?"

His only reply was a snore.

* * *

Less than fifteen minutes later, Shino slipped into the dorms, making no noise as he settled onto his bed. In all reality, he was exhausted, having been awake for twenty-four hours straight. But, he knew if he could function on missions with broken bones, chakra exhaustion and worse, he knew he could handle going through the classes. For a moment, he'd debated on using a soldier pill, the energy would be incredibly useful, and the Kikai would gladly siphon off most of the remaining chakra. But the pills were to precious, they were needed for emergencies, for getting back home when they found the way. He wasn't foolish enough to make the work any harder. He could always sleep later in the day, once he knew Naruto and Sasuke hadn't killed each other in the night.

The information on magic he'd found in the past hours was incredibly useful as it was. Magic and Chakra were more similar than he'd thought, the main difference being that chakra was energy that needed to be formed, if you worked early enough and quickly enough, almost anyone could develop the abilities. Magic was something one was apparently born with, it was merely the random genetic ability to manipulate energy. As far as Shino was concerned, wizards had been to lax in research, they knew little about what they based the entirety of their lifestyle on. Shinobi at least, knew how they manipulated chakra, how to alter it's properties, how to develop new techniques. Wizards only knew they could use magic, that occasionally, if they did something different, they might get a new result. Only truly ingenious people could develop new techniques, and only after months of research and testing.

Magical drain was a rare occurrence, only happening when massive amounts of magic was used in quick succession. Where chakra was consciously used energy, (in most instances) and therefore, placed a stronger drain on the user, flowing closely connected to the body's organs, magic developed subconsciously, and Shino suspected it flowed in pathways that weren't connected to the circulatory system, lessening the bodies strain.

Magic could easily be considered more useful than chakra, it would rarely be exhausted after all, but the presence of a wand, or at the very least, a focus of sorts, was needed, something chakra didn't need. If the wand was broken, lost or stolen, who knew what would happen to someone solely reliant on it.

Shino sighed quietly, taking a slow breathe to clear his head. It would do no good to continue thinking for now. He needed to focus on surviving around the magic, not attempting to merge magic and chakra.

Sensing the rest of the Ravenclaw's were waking up, Shino slid out of bed, silently ghosting down the stairs and into the common room. As expected, Lexi was sitting on the couch, her bag next to her. He was going to get sick of this steady predictability soon. Despite the fact the unexpected tended to mean danger, it was better to be kept on guard, than to be lulled into false security only to get killed.

They greeted each other quietly, the younger girl shouldering her bag easily. However, the moment they were in the hallway, the girl turned to him, surveying him for a moment. "Why are you so exhausted? I thought you said you were going to Madam Pomfrey about the problems you've been having sleeping."

He shrugged, having nearly forgotten he'd told her about his 'issues'. "Sasuke woke up. Suddenly it wasn't quite as important."

"So how much sleep did you get...?" He shrugged again, uncaring. "It obviously wasn't enough. Madam Pomfrey has a stock of potions, they'll help with your energy levels, at least until you get some sleep."

"It doesn't matter."

"Actually…considering I'm training to be a Healer….To me…it does matter."

"Not really…"

She pulled out her wand, narrowing her eyes, "Well, you have two choices, we can walk calmly to the hospital wing, and get back to the Great Hall with plenty of time for breakfast…or…I can stun you, levitate your body to the hospital wing and Madam Pomfrey can take care of you then." Her gaze was firm, a look similar to Hinata's, when she felt the team was in danger, when she was fearful for their health.

Damn medic.

He sighed, "Fine, I'll go, I'll go. Happy?"

"Very. Now let's go."

The walk was quiet, no other students were quite ready to begin the day, so the hallways were empty. Blissfully quiet, in fact, even in the hospital wing. It was incredibly quiet, even the medic didn't seem present. He thought that would mean the trip would have been worthless, and yet, Lexi seemed undisturbed. It was with quick familiarity, that she made her way to a locked cupboard, casting what Shino could only guess were really multiple spells. The cupboard swung open, and after a moment, she pulled out a shining blue potion.

"Drink this." It wasn't a question, it was an order. So, he cast a quick, one handed, one sealed jutsu. The moment it came up clear, that there was no poison, he downed it. The rush of energy was heavy, though it leveled quickly. "Good boy." She plucked the vial from his hands easily, placing it on top of the cupboard, and scrawling a quick note on a piece of parchement.

"Now that we're done with that…Can I go now?"

"Well…considering you don't look like you're about to pass out….Yes. But you're coming back for the Dreamless Sleep Potion later."

Sensing she'd remain as stubborn as she had been earlier, he nodded. "Let's head out then."

There was small talk for a while, after leaving the hospital wing, normal, common questions, though eventually, one of Shino's many questions came to the surface.

"Lexi…I don't mean to offend you…but why do the others treat you like they do?"

"What?"

"They hate you here…" He pointed out bluntly

"No they don't" Denial tinged her voice, though it was well hidden.

"They don't talk to you, barely acknowledge your existence. Quite a few send you dirty looks, other's seem to enjoy poking fun at you behind your back. Last I knew, that sounded a lot like hatred."

"I have a…difference in opinion…with a few students. They think I did something, only I didn't do it." Her last sentence seemed guilty, she didn't believe her own words. "It's nothing all that big though."

"If you say so…" The guilt in her voice only arose more suspicion, but he wouldn't act, for now at least. There was a pause in conversation, as Shino debated on asking one of his many questions, finally, he decided to try it. "What do they think you did?"

She stopped, looking for a moment so ashamed, terrified, and generally sad, he regretted asking. "It was all just a misunderstanding, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just like Sirius Black. But…they think….they think I killed someone."

Shino raised an eyebrow, having expected anything but that, his Kikai hadn't reported anything like that. Of…Fucking…Course.

One more issue to talk about with Naruto.

* * *

Somehow, there was very little tension in the Great Hall that Shino could detect. Naruto and Sasuke sat next to each other, seemingly holding a conversation with Ginny and Harry. How they could to that, considering just what had happened the night before, was a mystery to Shino, but one that was insignificant at the moment. They weren't killing each other just yet, and that was one of the only good things that he'd seen so far. It was a much better thing than find out just why Lexi was hated, or worse finding out they'd killed each other, which had been the expected results.

So settling into a chair, he couldn't helped but be shocked when the same owl as before, the one that wound up attacking other people's plates for food, landed one more time before him. Like before, a piece of parchment was rolled up and tied to it's leg. Only this time, it wasn't quite as serious, and was written in English.

_'Just so you know...You won't be having that Ancient Runes class today that Lexi's in. The teacher's probably a little bit....swamped...right about now.' _A quick glance at the table proved that Professor Vector truly wasn't present, _'So feel free to relax for one, make friends, do something. But you're definately not having an exam today.' _

Shino closed his eyes slowly, sighing as he wondered just what his teammate had done now.

**

* * *

Another chapter I'm not incredibly happy with. Oh well...guess there's always good ones and bad ones...huh?  
**

**On another note.... Reviews are amazing!!! And, you get cookies and soda!!!! And I went to the mall today....so there's pocky too!!!!  
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**So...hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon!**

**~CP  
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	16. Chapter 16

**Well....I have amazing news!!! I HAVE A LAPTOP!!!! Meaning I'm writing this chapter during a Christmas party at my grandma's house, instead of in my free time in my stuffy office. So while I still need to transfer over documents and stuff, this might make updating easier. Key word is might. I've been on a Bleach kick....so Naruto/Harry Potter inspiration has been very very hard to find. But....I'm actually kinda happy with this chapter. I like it more than the last one at least.****  
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**Anyways....  
**

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers: Mitsu-Aya33, Nime. Lee, FallenHope-Angel, killing u with umbrellas, TrenchcoatMan, grey-shadow-horse, mangamaniacgurl and Sandninjanaru  
****nd remember....  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.  
**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

_

* * *

_Naruto smirked, pressing Sasukes body fully onto the dirt floor of the Room of Requirement. The Uchiha had assumed he'd be able to spar on even terms with him, that there wouldn't be much challenge, he had his memories back, and he'd been stronger than ever before he left.

He was horribly wrong.

It had taken three minutes. The first was spent assessing Sasuke'smovements, he was fast, graceful, but relatively untrained. He lacked stamina he'd once had. The second minute was his turn to attack; to move forward with chakra enhanced speed and aim a flurry of attacks at the Uchiha's body. The third was now, one handin the others hair, forcing the side of his face against the dirt, the other bracing him against the ground. His legs pinned the others back andlegs to the ground. He was sure Sasuke had bruises that were already forming, though they were all hidden beneath clothing; Naruto didn't want to cause trouble after all.

"You were right Sasuke....that was an easy fight for one of us. Me."

Sasuke thrashed slightly, attempting to throw Naruto off. It wasn't about to work, Naruto was far to well trained for that, and no matter what Sasuke had once known, it wasn't half as much as Naruto now did.

"Poor, poor Sasuke." He mused, "I'm sure you're proud of how much you can do. You've let yourself get weak, a genin could take you down."

"Shut the hell up, Naruto!"

"But it's true, Sasu-chan." He teased, his voice taking on a different tone, his eyes bleeding slightly more crimson. "You've gotten weak, you're untrained. You won't be able to do half of what you could once do. I mean, I guess if you tried you might be able to keep up with a genin....but that's it. You're muscles are weak, they're soft, because you were to busy being a _wizard,_so you've gotten fat andlazy. You rely on magic, not yourself. You don't work with your wand, you use it as a tool, you've forgotten how to work with something or someone as a real team. You might've worked with people to stop this Voldemort guy. You might be able to say you've held another's life in your hands, but it isn't the same. You forgot what it was like to trust someone with your life, not because there was no other option, but because you wanted too. You may have truly trusted some, but not all, never all. You protected so many, because of fear of death in general, not their deaths in particular." As he spoke, the Kyuubi's energy filled him. It was a struggle to keep control, to stop the chakrafrom forming around him, to let the Kyuubi truly have a say, to merely allow Naruto to voice his opinions.

"You know nothing about what happened." Sasuke growled out.

"No, I don't. But, you aren't denying it's the truth." Claws dug slightly into Sasuke's skin as the Kyuubi's influence continued to grow "You're a damn brat, Uchiha. You think you have control and power. You think you can hide in this place from everything you've done. From all the lives you've cost, all the people you've destroyed. Your clan is the reason so many suffered. Your founder is the reason the village was caused so much destruction, at MY hands. It seems only fitting no? The heir to the name Uchiha, the one clan who could destroy a demon's control, is the one who did so much harm to the host of that same demon." Fangs were bared in fury, "You aimed to kill your flesh and blood with little information on the truth. Of who the true criminal was. You were after the wrong Uchiha you fool! And because of that, many have died. To be tied to humanity has given me perspective of a conscience. It's obvious that you lack one." He snarled quietly

Then he was off of Sasuke, the Kyuubi's chakra and prescence gone, and the room was shifting back to a normal room as the door swung open and in walked Shino and Lexi. Naruto grinned as Sasuke pushed himself up. "Have a nice dinner guys?"  
--------------------------

Sasuke shook himself mentally to clear his mind of Naruto's words. In the hour since Shino andLexi had come for the lessons on magic, he'd found himself distracted more times than he could count. He couldn't help but wonder, was Naruto right?

He'd never thought himself to have helped others(mainly by breaking hundreds of school rules, attacking teachers, pranking people and breaking things) as a form of cowardice. As a way to avoid death in general. He knew he would have as easily put his life on the line for Ginny, Harry and at the time, Ron and Hermione. But in all reality....that was all. None of the other's meant something special, they were just people, and therefore he hadn't wanted them dead. But now, he could remember scenes from the past, from protecting Naruto in the Land of Waves with every ounce of his strength, not because he didn't want him to die, but because it was Naruto, his teammate, someone important to him, and he _couldn't_ let the blond boy die.

The way he'd wanted to protect his friends from Hogwarts was so weak, compared to the way he'd wanted to keep his team safe. It was comparing the strength of a small spark, and the chidori. There was no real comparison.

He loved his friends greatly, but there was more than love between shinobi, there was dependency and trust, often they shared common ground in their loss.

So even when he compared the relationship he'd formed with Lexi, one where they'd saved each other's lives almost every other day, still paled greatly in comparison to the relationship with his team.

But that left another question; what did that make the witches and wizards he cared about?

Did that make them less important? Or was it just important when compared to his shinobi friends? He knew that, if the choice came, he would give his life for Naruto, far sooner than he would for someone from Hogwarts.

The past didn't matter, he could see now.

He could see it with a startling clarity, just what a fool he'd been. He had once had everything, true friends, that were becoming family, people who loved him. He'd had precious people, and as much as he wanted to kill Itachi, he shouldn't have given up his family, his Home, for that man. And then, because he'd chosen power to avenge his dead family, he'd lost his new one.

Now he had a chance to make it right, in a way. But would Naruto take him back? Would they agree to accept him when he returned to Konoha? Could he possibly be forgiven?

Somehow, he doubted it. But that didn't mean he wouldn't fight for his forgiveness. He would do anything he could to bring things back to the way they were. And if it didn't work, he supposed he would accept the punishment.

Karma was only fair, after all.

* * *

Something had happened, it was obvious from the moment Shino had entered the room with Lexi. One of them had done something, said something, taken action somehow. And now, the tension that filled the air was almost palpable. There was chakra subconciouslyflaring from the both of them, surging around them, filling the air with energy. If they weren't careful, even the witches and wizards would notice. He was shocked they hadn't noticed the chakra, demon's chakra that was just scarcely under control. That scarce amount of control was the major factor that kept him from rushing into the room. Well, that and the fact that Lexi had steadily become on edge as well. It wouldn't be good to encourage her suspicions.

Years of reading people, of working with the far to secluded Hinata, and Kiba who would hide what he really felt with false bluntless made it far to easy to read the fury mixed with sorrow in loneliness in Naruto's gaze. It was just as easy to read confusion and guilt in Sasuke's features, no matter how well the Uchiha thought he'd once hid it.

Narutocould pretendhe didn't feel anything as he took out his frustration on spells that wouldn't work well for him. He could pretend nothing was wrong as he swore, ranted andraved at his wand, that wouldn't channel his energy the way he wanted to, he could feign frustration on the wandthat required him to re-learn how to channel his energy the right way, the way that would make the wand work.

Sasukecould try to hide his emotions behind flat-black eyes, he could stay almost mute, so his voice wouldn't give him away, but it also wouldn't work. It was just as ineffective as Naruto's efforts, if not more so, because Sasuke normally spoke when they were alone. He'd adjusted and opened up to them. So to be as silent was he was, confirmed any suspicions. The only difference was that Lexi was probably able to detect his emotions too.

But if she could, she was tactful, she wouldn't mention anything until she knew more. There would hopefully be no more problems. Not now at least.

------------------

It was at a for more reasonable hour the three shinobi and witch returned to their respective rooms. It was only after another far to silent walk to the common room, and up to the dormitories that the silence was finally broken.

Sasuke and Naruto had both changed silently, not waking anyone with a practiced ease. But Naruto didn't look ready to sleep, he stood their, standing at the window, gazing steadily at the grounds beneath him.

Sasukesighed quietly, sliding back the curtains of his four poster bed, as he looked to the blond shinobi.

"Umm...Naruto."

The blonds gaze slid to his features, "Yes?"

"I'm sorry, for what I've done I mean. You were right, then and now. I was a fool. Forgive me."**

* * *

**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY HANUKKAH!!!!!!!!!!! HAPPY KWANZAA!!!!!!!!!!!! **

**For presents.....you guys.....should all review. It'd make this the best holiday season ever!!!  
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**So...hope you enjoyed the story and see you soon!**

**~CP  
**


	17. Chapter 17

**Bleach addiction makes this so much harder to write. But somehow, I got inspiration last night....so it's one of my longer chapters.****  
**

**Anyways....  
**

**Thanks to my AMAZING reviewers: Mitsu-Aya33, Nime. Lee, FallenHope-Angel, TrenchcoatMan, grey-shadow-horse, mangamaniacgurl, Doomforyou, GaiaSolo, and Diamonds-r-4ever-so-am-i**

**  
****and remember....  
**

**I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto.  
**

**ON WITH THE CHAPTER!!!!!!!!!!!!**

_thoughts_

japanese

_'silent communication'_

_

* * *

_Naruto had been unable to stay in the dorms. He'd managed to contain himself for a bit, resisting the urge to pace, to run, to _move_, just until Sasuke had finally given up. Until the daark haired boy retreated, slinking back to his bed, realization hitting that nothing would be forgiven, not yet at least.

The moment he'd heard Sasuke's breathing even out, and sensed the other was asleep, Naruto was gone. He didn't care how long he'd been awake, or that he was currently in pajamas. Secrecy was thrown to the wind as he moved to the nearest window and leapt outside, landing to the hard ground below easily, with an ease that reflected years of practice. The moment he hit the ground he was running, near flying as he shot across the ground, shifting to the trees, avoiding branches that whipped around him with a speed only shinobi could hope to master.

He knew he'd lost far to much control today, just between the 'spar' with Sasuke and now. The Kyuubi had been to close to the surface, influence growing stronger as the demon struggled to take control. Resistance had become to difficult for Naruto as he struggled to control himself, and with Sasuke beneath him, with no way to escape, the demon had been pleased to take the window of opportunity. Now at least, it was placated, content for the moment to rest inside his mind with no comments, pleased that Sasuke had listened for once. The demon was glad Sasuke was sorry, it was one step closer to his goal, to make the Uchiha realize just what had happened, not just physically but psychologically, emotionally. The demon wanted Sasuke to pay, to feel the pain he'd caused.

But for now, it's temper was under control, something the blond was grateful for. Had the demon been any angrier, control could've easily been lost in a much more dangerous, public spot. He knew no accidental death would be over looked, even in private, and that he and Shino would be the prime suspect. No one needed any more excuse to prove it was him. Besides, had it not been there, Harry, Ginny or that Draco kid could have gotten in his way. And as much as Naruto didn't like killing civilians, the lack of a true emotional tie to them, would make it that much harder to control the Kyuubi's actions towards the wizards.

It would only be worse if Shino got involved.

Before he could consider the many ways Shino could get in the way, Naruto lurched to a stop, slightly clawed fingers digging into tree bark to steady him.

_Speak of the devil and he shall appear_, he decided, nodding ingreeting to the shinobi who stood calmly on a thick tree branch, leaning against the tree trunk. "Hey Shino, what's up"

"What happened earlier?" The reply was calm, and Naruto didn't believe it for a second.

"Oh...you know, nothing much."

"'Nothing much'.....is what caused the Kyuubi to surface?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Umm....well...." Shino said nothing, merely watching Naruto, waiting "Ok! OK! I got pissed, happy? He was acting like I couldn't understand, like he knew everything! Sometimes it's like he wants to be a wizard! I think he wants to be one more than he wants to be a shinobi! Sometimes I don't think he even wants to come back! It was like he didn't care anymore, like he was so much better, I couldn't take it!" Chakra surged with his anger, and the branch he stood on snapped with the increase. Cursing, Naruto moved to the branch Shino stood on, still furious. "He said he was a monster, he acted like he was realy sorry, at first! But he didn't prove it, he did nothing at all. Just acted like nothing had really changed. So I reminded him just what had changed....or at least....Kyuubi did." He paused, "Apparently Sasuke got the message....he...apologized, said he's sorry....but he acted sorry before. How the hell do I know he means it this time."

"You won't. People lie all the time, Naruto, in normal situations, in stressed ones. The only time they tend to not lie...is after a long interrogation. Unless you plan on locking up Uchiha and using force to get the answers, you won't be sure."

"Well the what the hell am I supposed to do?"

Shino shrugged slightly, "It's your choice, not mine." He pointed out, "You can take his word and trust him, or you can choose not to and force him to try and prove himself. Of course then you'd have to figure out how he'd prove himself. If you remembered you've been born to kill enemies from a place we don't know if we can get back to, you'd need time to cope. He's fought a war here as well, Naruto, he's formed new friendships as well, and those are strong as well. If they weren't, he wouldn't have fought for them, would he? And you can't expect him to just abandon his friends, can he. Leave them for us and suddenly we'd be under suspicions. The time he spends with us alone is already more than he should be. His friends could easily get fed up, demand he picks one group, or starts remembering they exist." He pointed out "And when it's put that way, who would you choose?" Naruto remained silent. "Good. You see my point then."

Naruto shrugged, and then nodded, "So what you're saying is I should give him a chance? And maybe....mingle with his friends instead of expecting him to hang out with us?"

"I never said that. It's your choice."

Naruto sighed, "You're no help."

"Of course I'm not. It's not my job to handle your problems, now is it?"

"Doesn't mean you can't help me out here though."

"I helped you get Uchiha up, helped explain everything to him, and left you two alone hoping I wouldn't find a corpse the next morning. I think I've done plenty.

Naruto snorted, "So you're going to abandon me here? Right when I need your help the most."

"I'm hardly abandoning you, Naruto."

The blond boy sighed, any tenseness around them from Naruto's rant had vanished. "Still....I could use some help....and you're useless."

Shino shook his head, "I'd rather not get into this more than I have already. You have far to much of a one track mind when it comes to Uchiha." He paused, "Listen to me Naruto, go back to your dormitory, go to sleep. Think about this, all morning long, then, you can act on what you decide. Until then, for once in your life, be patient."

Naruto groaned, but nodded, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. I'll behave 'till lunch. Got'cha." He paused, surveying the bug user. "Get some rest yourself, Shino. When's the last time you slept anyways?"

Shino shrugged, "Thirty six hours....maybe. I've been busy."

Naruto shook his head. "Yeah, I can tell."

* * *

The next morning dawned cloudy and cold, hinting at the icy weather that would greet the castle within the next few weeks. Waking up, both Sasuke and Naruto were more subdued than they'd been since Naruto's arrival, unable to look each other in the eye. Just sitting next to the dark haired Uchiha, at the Gryffindor table, eating, or rather picking at his breakfast was somehow awkward. He knew Shino had been right about what he'd said the night before. Yes, Sasuke was at fault for what had happened before he'd been brought here. He'd been a traitor, needlessly cruel and foolish. He'd betrayed everyone, even himself, he'd hurt almost everyone in the village with the conflicts he'd caused.

But he also _had_ been clueless. He'd fought a war here, made friends and enemies. Sure he'd lost the ability to think of his weaponry as an extension of himself, he'd lost all of his training in general. But, he also realized the other hadn't been hiding, just lost. It really wasn't his fault. The fault was on who or what had dragged Sasuke to this damn castle and erased or at least hidden, his memories. It was just so much easier to blame the Uchiha.

But how did he explain how he felt to Sasuke? He wasn't about to apologize, not for everything at least, but Sasuke also didn't deserve to apologize for everything that he'd apologized for. So he had to do something....right? Shaking his head lightly to clear it, Naruto sighed. He'd take at least one part of Shino's little speech to heart. He definitely couldn't expect Sasuke to abandon his friends, especially after bitching at him repeatedly for doing the same thing in Konoha. So that meant, he had one option left to do, bridge the gap he'd caused with Sasuke's friends.

"Alright guys....I got a question for you." Three pairs of eyes focused on him, "So.....what _exactly_ is this Quidditch thing?"

He smirked to himself at the enthusiastic reaction Harry and Ginny gave. He'd done a good job.

* * *

Sasuke hummed to himself, incredibly confused with the days events so far. Naruto had been acting odd all day long, but he couldn't think of a reason why. The blond had been treating Sasuke like nothing had changed, like he was nothing special, nothing really that important. No...since they day had began, he'd been paying attention to Sasuke's friends more than anything. Asking questions, getting to know them, generally acting sociable. It wasn't like he'd ever been rude or snubbed them. He hadn't _actively_ told Sasuke to stop hanging around his magical friends, Sasuke had just done it because of the odd allure the boy had. But now, Naruto wasn't really giving him a choice either way, because he was choosing to hang around him.

Well, mostly at least. They had a free period today, just after lunch, and for some reason, unknown to everyone (possibly even Shino, who'd refused to comment about it) Naruto wanted to hang out for a little one-on-one talk. Part of Sasuke hoped that it was about his impromptu apology, another part of him was terrified that it would be about it.

It wasn't something he wanted to explain his feelings on. It was something he'd done, but didn't want to repeat. But what else could Naruto want to talk about?

At the very least, lunch was almost done, and that meant that the wait would be almost over. No matter what the hell Naruto wanted to talk about, the situation would be done with soon enough. And then he could go back to balancing wizard friends and shinobi memories. Or trying to at the least.

Finally, Naruto was done eating, and Sasuke found himself pushing his plate away. He hadn't been hungry all day, thanks to his nerves surrounding his new set of issues with Naruto. He'd managed to force himself to eat, a bit, if only to reassure the others he was feeling fine, just a little bit off. Of course, everything could change in about three seconds with the unpredictable blond around, not that he planned on telling Harry, Ginny and the others about that. Nope...that wouldn't be mentioned at all, whatsoever. Though he would have to think of a good excuse, after all, he still ached horribly from the night before.

Naruto caught his eye as he stood, and the two excused themselves quickly, walking almost silently through the hall. The moment they were outside, Naruto turned to him, a half-smile forming on his features. "Alright Sasuke, I decided we need a meeting. You get to pick the place."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment at the others increasingly odd behavior. Instead he merely lead the way through the hallways, opting not to go to the usual place of the Room or Requirement, but instead, selected the one time 'Detention Room' of last year. The room looked absolutely nothing like it had during the war, which was a bonus, but no one else would consider coming anywhere _near_ the room. Waving his wand, Sasuke conjured two semi-comfortable looking chairs, that were in reality far more comfortable than they looked.

Sitting down, Sasuke sighed, looking the still standing Naruto in the eye. "Alright....what did you want to talk about?"

"It's about last night..." The other began, looking just a little nervous.

Shit. Fuck. Dammit. Just what he really didn't want to talk about. "What about last night.?"

"Well....when I....and Kyuubi were yelling at you. We mighta been a little harsh." _Just a little_? Sasuke wondered snidely, "Anyways...I guess we shouldn't have....well...yelled at you like that. Your friends here aren't all that bad.....and I guess it's not like you knew....We were just....well...pissed. Neither of us liked the thought of you sitting here with all your friends, having some fun, while we fought a war that well...you kinda caused." Sasuke flinched at the reminder, despite the fact that Naruto looked nervous, he obviously had no idea just what to say on the situation, and somehow, that was making the thought less painful.

"Yeah. I kinda forgot the fact you were fighting a new war over here. I mighta cared a bit more 'bout my friends than yours. And that was kinda wrong."

Sasuke shook his head, stopping the blond from what he was about to say, "Yeah. It was. But I deserved it. You might've been a bastard last night....but I was for...how long was it? Three years? It was probably a good thing you decided to rip me a new one when you did."

Naruto just rolled his eyes, leaning against a wall and slamming his fist against. "Damn straight you needed something done to you. Doesn't mean we shoulda said everything we did. Just most of it." He smirked, and it made him look just a bit more feral, "So, I think....since we're blaming ourselves..._and_ each other...we need a compromise."

"Define compromise?"

"You...don't be a bastard. We'll work through all those lovely little issues you had before.....and continued to make. And...if you do that....I can..._try_ to be more accepting of all this wizarding crap. And maybe, if you behave well enough....maybe....I'll help you get your chakra control back. It wouldn't be good for the last living Uchiha to get his ass kicked all the time...now would it?"

Sasuke snorted, secretly glad the majority of the tension around Naruto had dissolved. "I'd get my skills back with or without your help idiot."

Naruto's smirk only grew, he moved forward in a burst of chakra enhanced speed, easily knocking down the chair Sasuke sat on and pinning him to the wall by the throat. "Mmhmm....you just keep thinking that, Sasuke. I'll be sure to kick your ass every time you do." He released Sasuke's throat after a moment, looking pleased that the Kyuubi hadn't come out to play during their little talk.

Sasuke rubbed a hand over his neck, wincing, "Is it your life's mission to cover me in black and blue marks?"

Naruto smirked, his eyes lighting up slightly, "It wasn't....but now that you mention it....It wouldn't be a bad idea to make sure the rest of the world knows just how far the mighty have fallen."

Sasuke shook his head slightly, "So, when I'm better than you that means I get to repeatedly kick your ass?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Sure...you'll get that privilege. But only if you can handle it. Besides...first you gotta catch me." He flashed a smile. "Up to the challenge?"

"Always, moron."

"Good....but first things first. That Quidditch shit they were talking about sounds fun. And I...want more information."

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**HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! My New Year's Resolution....write longer chapters. Harder than it sounds....-.-**

**But....I didn't do that bad a job this time around. So, questions, comments, issues?**

**I know I got a lot of mixed reactions about last chapter. I'd like to say this, in my mind...they really both...were wrong. And while this did just happen...nothings going to change in about two seconds flat. This will take time, but...something's gotta give eventually. They can't just hate eachother forever...ya know? But seriously....if you have commentary on anything about how stuff happened...tell me. I like to know. ^_^  
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**Reviews are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!  
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**See you soon!**

**~CP  
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	18. Chapter 18

**Alright. Here's the deal. This chapter is...incredibly, impossibly, horrendously short. Completely against my new years resolution. I apologize. But lets just say that my family's having some issues, cause my aunt is really really sick and not all that well off....so we're not sure exactly what's going to be happening there in the next month or two. So this is what I had ready last week, with some minor updates included, so you have something to read, along with a warning. Because depending on what happens, my updates might be a little off for a month or two. Gunna try, but well, if people are dying then I can't promise anything.**

**Just keep in mind that smoking is a bad, bad thing please....and try not to be to mad...?**

**Anyways...thanks to my reviewers: FallenHope-Angel, TrenchcoatMan, mangamaniacgurl and Saiai Angel Alchemist**

**Disclaimer: I do not, have not, and never will own Harry Potter or Naruto......................and Danzo is SO a God Mod....

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In the two weeks since Naruto and Sasuke had reached their compromise of sorts, a loose schedule had been set up to allow Shino and Naruto to socialize and blend in easier, without worrying about neglecting or avoiding someone on accident.

As such, Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays were, much to Naruto's great joy, and Shino's mild irritation, spent with a group of anyone who felt like coming. Initially, quite a few people had come to these little meetings in the Room of Requirement, after all, Shino and Naruto were the new people in the school, making them the people everyone wanted to see and know. Add to the fact that Harry was there all the time, and anyone who wasn't a Slytherin was excited. That is until Draco walked in, and was greeted quite happily by Sasuke, Harry and Ginny. Apparently no one had realized that friendship in the halls meant the blond would be there.

Added to the fact that once the novelty wore off after the first meeting, everyone below sixth year had decided they had better time to spend their days. So while Ginny, Harry, Sasuke, Draco, Luna and Lexi were the constant arrivals, it was mostly the Gryffindors dorm mates that made up the other visitors.

No one _ever_ commented on where the Ravenclaw dorm mates were.

These days were use for less of an education, and more of a chance to relax and have fun. Games were played a majority of the time, and Harry and Ginny had gotten the bright idea to teach Shino and Naruto their fun spells. Things like the Hair-loss spell, the Jelly-legs Jinx and Langlock had all been taught, with the insistence that as long as no one got hurt, they may as well have a little fun.

Tuesdays and Fridays, however, were spent with Naruto and Sasuke spending some alone time with the Gryffindors, while Shino spent his nights with the Ravenclaws. The little situation had been adapted purely for Shino's benefit, as the bug user still felt there was a way to get home by magic he needed to research, just as strongly as he wanted to figure out the mystery that was his escort. So while Naruto would spend another two days goofing off (and doing just a little bit of homework), Shino spent his time attempting to find his answers, though he'd yet to have much success.

It probably didn't help his chances of succeeding that several younger year students had been giving him odd looks on these days. Apparently a few Gryffindors had overheard Naruto telling Sasuke and Harry that he and Ginny should open a 'business' together, because she spent all her time with guys, while his was spent alone with girls.

Wednesdays and Sundays were Shinobi only days, where the main goal was to get Sasuke's chakra control back in shape. Initially, Shino had offered to just drain Sasuke of most of his chakra and work him until his body produced more, but the Uchiha had denied that option rather quickly. Instead, he chose a slightly more violent option.

Sasuke and Naruto fought hard on these two days, the blond shinobi pushing Sasuke as far past his limits as possible in the space of just a few hours. Admittedly, he was going easy on the Uchiha, but all things considered, no one could tell. Naruto would chase Sasuke, attack him, push him through the most grueling exercises they could think of, all so his chakra would begin rebuilding it's levels.

It was a long, incredibly difficult process for the shinobi, but it was well worth it. When they'd started, Sasuke's chakra levels had been down to nearly nothing. Years of disuse had made training difficult at first, and that coupled with the fact Sasuke do little more than a few E ranked Jutsu had been incredibly frustrating for all involved.

Now the Uchiha was thankfully just a bit stronger; though he'd only worked his way up to D ranked jutsu, he was happy that he could finally do something. Or at least something more than walk up a damn wall.

* * *

It was this very schedule that found Naruto, Sasuke and Harry in the dorm rooms on a Friday night, the invisibility cloak spread out on Harry's bed. The wizards had appeared appalled that Naruto and Shino had never heard of Hogsmead, and had insisted that they join Harry and Ginny in the sneaking out of school so they could get supplies for the party that was planned for tomorrow if and when the Gryffindor team won their match against Hufflepuff. Apparently all of the Gryffindors and half of the school agreed they would win fairly easily, and so they'd decided to get a bit ahead of the game.

So the group had gone upstairs where they were to alter their appearances, before they were supposed to sneak downstairs under the guise of the Disillusionment charm, or in Harry's case, the Invisibility cloak.

Naruto looked at Sasuke as Harry walked downstairs, hidden beneath his cloak, "So you know I'm using the Henge no Jutsu…right? Cause it's so much easier than magic you know. And you should too…You need more practice….it'll be like an exam…only if you fail we get caught and get in trouble." He grinned

Sasuke shook his head slightly, "I really don't give a crap which way you do it. Though I'm glad you don't plan on making me do all the work…..then complain about it."

Naruto grinned innocently, "Oh come on, Sasuke-chan. You know I love you. I would _ never_ do that"

"Mmhmm…sure. Get ready to go, moron." Naruto nodded, forming a few quick hand seals, and a moment later smoke cleared, revealing a tall, thin man, who now had shoulder length crimson hair that spiked slightly and matching red eyes that glinted mischievously. "What do you think?"

Sasuke shook his head, rolling his eyes as he cast his own transformation jutsu, altering his features to make them far more common that Naruto's, with shaggy brown hair and green eyes. "You still look like an idiot. Now hold still so I can cast the damn charm."

A moment later, they were both invisible, and soundlessly creeping down the stairs and towards the portrait hole, careful not to accidently bump into anyone. As planned, Ginny waited at the portrait hole, fully visible and looking incredibly casual, where Sasuke crept forward and touched her shoulder. A moment later, Ginny walked easily out of the portrait hole, acting like she had no actual purpose, no one would suspect her of being the only visible person in a group of people preparing to sneak off.

Finally, the group was in the hidden tunnel, charms and cloaks removed. Ginny's long red hair had been altered to be shoulder length and blonde, while Harry's hair was now calm and sandy brown. Naruto had merely raised an eyebrow watching Ginny transfigure her features, muttering in quiet Japanese that it took far to long to possibly be practical….but it would be nice because it didn't end under attack or exhaustion.

It was good to see Naruto appreciate magic and it's benefits, Sasuke had a feeling it'd make his job of adapting just a bit easier.

Ten minutes later, Sasuke found himself more than a little shocked at just how packed Honeydukes was, even without the students. This of course, made their job easier as the four students slipped into the crowd, Harry and Ginny off to pick out the candies they wanted, while Sasuke led Naruto through the thick crowd and out the door.

"Welcome to Hogsmead, moron."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, "You know….when you guys told me about this place, didn't think it'd be quite this busy. Isn't it kinda a danger?"

Sasuke hummed in agreement, "I was a bit shocked too….never really saw the point of having a town like this next to a supposedly unfindable castle either…but people are weird like that." He shrugged.

"So exactly what's the plan tonight? All I got outta the planning was candy….and butterbeer? Which is what by the way?"

"Good….it's kinda butterscotch…but not quite. And slightly alcoholic….Not enough to get drunk off of..."

"Giving students alcohol and magic? Wow…these guys have no common sense do they?"

Sasuke shrugged, "Most people don't drink enough to do anything bad….though it does lower some inhibitions….and that makes life pretty funny…." He added, chuckling.

Naruto grinned, "I can only imagine…." He paused for a moment, "Heh…wonder what it'd do to Bushy Brows…..he isn't fun when he's drunk….but if it's not all that alcoholic…." He trailed off for a moment.

Sasuke shook his head, signaling silence just before Harry and Ginny walked out, grinning at their purchases. Each had two bags that were crammed with sweets, and Naruto wasted no time in grabbing a bag and rooting through it as they walked towards three broomsticks.

"What the hell is some of this crap? Chocolate frogs? Ice Mice? Jelly _Slugs_? _Blood_ flavored lollipops and _Cockroach _Clusters? What the fuck?"

Ginny cleared her through self consciously, "Ah…those last two are for Ron….figure I'll slip them to him somehow…"

Naruto surveyed the Cockroach Clusters, "Peanuts…tell him they're really good…really rare peanuts…and they're a present. Or just slip them into his stuff…He eats more than Choji…he won't even look at them twice…."

"You know…one day you'll have to introduce us to these friends of yours…." Harry pointed out.

"Nah….they'd just bore you…" Naruto replied, "They're really just a group of weird people."

Sasuke shook his head minutely, a smirk tugging at his features. From the look on his face, he agreed. "Really guys…they like _Naruto_ no way in hell they're worth it…"

Ginny shook her head, "You're so mean to each other…"

"Course we are." Naruto replied, "I annoy everyone I like."

"So you don't like us then?" she asked, as they entered Three Broomsticks.

"Well sure I do….But it's easier to annoy Sasuke….cause I'm around him more…plus he's a lot more fun to annoy." Naruto said, smiling innocently

Harry laughed, ordering their butterbeer. "Sounds like we should be pitying him…"

"Yup. You have no idea how badly I torment him when there's no one to hear him scream." The crimson haired boy said, clasping a hand onto Sasuke's shoulder, well aware of the bruises that the Uchiha most likely bore. The sharp glare he received in reply only made him grin. "Really….you should consider yourselves lucky."

Ginny smiled, "Just don't drive him insane." She advised, "It'd be a shame if he went crazy from you torturing him."

Naruto shook his head, "Yeahyeahyeah, I'll do what I can."

Harry handed Sasuke a bag with a few bottles of butterbeer, and another to Naruto. "Come on, I got some extras we can drink once we get back."

Naruto grinned, grabbing Sasuke's arm with the hand that held the bag of sweets. "Come on Sasu….let's go try and get drunk!"

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**Yep...short enough I almost wanna cry...considering how little plot there is in this thing at the moment. I wanted to throw in the Quidditch...but I have no motivation right now...so you get quidditch next time.....day after my birthday if everything goes according to plan......**

**So that means...I have a question to ask you all...Who do _You_ want to win that match? I will tally up the reviews....and whoever gets the most votes will be the winning team. Meaning if you don't review this chapter...you can't complain.**

**Also...we have more reviews that I actually ever dreamed of right now....but....I would absolutely LOVE you all....if we could possibly get over 100 this time around? Maybe? Cause reviews are amazing....and like candy...and would really make me feel better?**

**~CP  
**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hi guys! Thanks for being patient about me needing an extra week to update. I seriously needed that extra time, even though i wrote two halves of this chapter at once...Quidditch match at home, Hogsmead at school..... Either way, we will now resume our regular updating schedule.**

**On another note, I am watching the Super bowl...and Saw a Gibbs-slap commercial. Very amusing if I do say so myself.**

**Anyways to: FallenHope-Angel, genderless-but straight, TrenchcoatMan, Mitsu-Aya33, Saiai Angel Alchemist, mangamaniacgurl, for the reviews and sympathy.**

**I'm sad to say we didn't make it to 100 though....we were just one away...*sniffsniff* But that does mean that I've got a proposition for you somewhere in this story.**

**Oh...and part of this story....has been in my head....since the third damn chapter. So I'm kinda glad I finally get to put it out there. Even if it's changed about 20 different times since the beginning....yeah**

**Remember...I don't own Harry Potter or Naruto....**

**and Quidditch matches are evil to write...that's why there isn't much of one...  
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The next morning was thankfully clear, though it was cold enough that everyone was forced to break out the scarves, sweaters, hats and gloves that had been packed for Hogwarts winters (or in Naruto and Shino's cases, conjure up a pair). Naruto found himself all but jumping up and down with excitement as they headed to the stands to watch the match; he'd learned about Quidditch and the basics of flying, he'd watched every practice they'd let him see, and he was more than ready to watch an actual match. He'd confided to Shino that he wanted to _fly_ a damn broom, and that it pissed him off Sasuke insisted that a flying Naruto would be dangerous.

Flashing Shino a quick, but sympathetic grin, Naruto leaned back into his seat. He'd gotten lucky, his sensitive ears had gotten him as far away from Luna's roaring hat as possible, sitting next to Sasuke. Who sat next to Draco, who was still developing an opinion on the new arrivals, and therefore wasn't as comfortable with the two people who'd fought the war to try and stop the family he'd disagreed with; which left Shino between Lexi and Luna, and therefore forced to sit through the lion's roar of anticipation. It was officially the closest to mortified Naruto had _ever_ seen an Aburame, and was honestly, pretty funny.

Flinching as Sasuke elbowed him to draw his attention from his thoughts to the field, Naruto surveyed the team. He could officially name the players and their positions by name; Ginny, Dean Thomas and Demelza Robins, the beaters Ritchie Coote and Jimmy Peakes, with Harry as the Captain and Seeker, and (sadly) Ron freaking Weasley as the keeper. He hated the stupid red-heads attitude, his lack of dedication and generally just the vibe he gave off. Sasuke had mentioned Ron had been cheated for two years before hand….he didn't get why Harry wouldn't cheat against him. Stupid morals.

With slightly narrowed eyes as he leaned forward, Naruto watched Harry shake hands with the Hufflepuff captain, some guy named Zacharias Smith. Brooms were mounted afterwards, and in just an instant, the wizards were flying. They were freaking flying.

The shock of just what could be done with magic never got old to Naruto, and from the studious look on Shino's face, he felt the same way. Flight was something that had never been _considered_ back home, for wizards to do it so easily…

Naruto cut off that thought as the game began, Hufflepuff with the Quaffle. He watched as they passed it back and forth, steadily working closer the Gryffindor goalposts. Sasuke grinned as Coote hit a bludger towards a Hufflepuff chaser's head, laughing as she ducked and dropped the Quaffle.

It was on.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, the game was close at 90-70, with Gryffindor leading. On several occasions, it'd appeared a seeker had seen the snitch, and had gone racing towards it, only to be cut off by another seeker, a bludger or to find it had vanished.

Naruto had been long since forced to admit Smith knew how to put together a good team, His beaters especially seemed fierce, and no one in the stands would be surprised if every Gryffindor player sported bludger sized bruises the next day.

Naruto grinned as Harry took off across the field, cutting off his own chaser as he did so, steadily flying closer to the ground. The Hufflepuff seeker launched across the field as well, closer and closer, and for a moment, it looked like the two would collide, until the Hufflepuff seeker pulled out of the dive, just a moment before Harry's fingers closed around the snitch.

Once more, Gryffindor had one a game.

The group took off quickly, joining the group of students that were congratulating the team. Every Gryiffindor Naruto saw had a look of excitement that Naruto knew had to do with more than just winning the match. It was time to party.

It took a while to reach Harry and Ginny because of the small crowd that had gathered around the team. It seemed that no matter how much they one, everyone loved it, especially when it was The Boy-Who-Lived; poor Harry hated the attention it gave him.

Finally reaching them, Sasuke grinned, hugging them both, congratulating them, and waving to a few people to go set up the party all at once. Naruto too, was pulled into a hug, as was Draco, though much to Shino's probable relief, he was not.

By the time the team managed to get the crowd to disperse, and finally reach the Common room, the party was in full swing. There was no music, however there was plenty of food, with all the candy and drinks that the group had gotten the night before spread out on a table. In addition, it looked like someone had raided the kitchen, and brought out some cake, as well as a mystery drink. Sasuke had taken a look at it and claimed someone raided Slughorn's supply, but he hadn't bothered explaining it to Naruto, opting instead to pass him a glass of butterbeer and raise his own in a mock toast.

Two hours into the party, everyone who wasn't a fifth year or older had been sent to their dorms, courtesy of (the–oh-so-mighty-Head-Girl) Hermione, and most of the team had crashed from a long day as well. The mystery bottle, as well several like it had been brought out along with some cups, and Seamus had gleefully announced that it was time for drinking games.

Now Sasuke explained, it was Rosemerta's firewhisky, which was an alcoholic beverage, much more alcoholic than butterbeer and therefore far more fun.

It began simply, seeing who could down the most firewhisky, the fastest, while still staying coherent. And Ginny, Seamus, Sasuke and Naruto were the best off from the beginning, easily out drinking Harry, Dean, Lavender, and Parvati.

Of course, once they'd all gotten suitably tipsy, the tactic had switched to the muggle game, I Never, which Lavender and Parvati wisely passed on, choosing instead to retreat to their dorm. Once the rules had been properly explained to Naruto, and shot glasses had been passed out, the game began.

It started innocently enough, with simple questions such as "I've never gone commando" (which Naruto, Sasuke and Harry drank to) and "I've never worn women's underwear" (Ginny and Naruto drank that time, with Naruto claiming vehemently that it was all Kiba's fault)

Ginny grinned, "I've never gone skinny dipping." Naruto shook his head, downing another shot, with Harry, Sasuke and Dean.

"You're just trying to get me drunk…." He muttered

Sasuke laughed, "I've never snogged a girl."

Naruto raised his glass to that, as did Harry and Dean, each of whom gave Ginny a pointed look, Seamus, and Ginny, who just muttered something about a dare.

An hour of drunken confessions later, everyone had retreated to their rooms, Dean, Seamus, Harry and Ginny were completely wasted, while Sasuke and Naruto were mildly drunk. Sasuke had credited the Uchiha's high alcohol tolerance, while Naruto gave all the credit to the Kyuubi.

While everyone else had retreated to their beds, Naruto had sprawled across Sasuke's bed, the Uchiha's mind far to relaxed and slurred to decide the blond was a nussance.

Sasuke looked over to the blond, who'd stolen half of his bed, and looked nearly asleep. He shoved him, forcing him to wake up. "Hey, Dobe….who'd'ya kiss?"

Naruto shoved him back, "Sakura….was a party…..'n a dare. We hooked up….but…I didn't work out…" He yawned, "She's jus'a sister now…"

* * *

Hogsmead was beautiful in the moonlight, but it was even better by day. Just one week after the match, found everyone aged thirteen and up present at the town, enjoying their freedom from the teachers watchful eyes.

Ginny had already slipped off, intent on spending some "girl time" with Luna, and Harry and Draco had a hidden agenda of their own. Lexi had darted off immediately as well, leaving Sasuke to be the sole tour guide for the two shinobi.

They (or at least Sasuke and Naruto) had already bought all the candy they could carry, and it was now Naruto's life mission to make Shino eat a bug related candy, like Cockroach Clusters, and judging by the Aburame's response, he had a long way to go.

They'd dressed heavily to combat against the biting wind and snow, and Shino especially looked as if he despised the cold, despite all the calm and focus that he possessed. They were all grateful when Sasuke led them into the Weasly Wizard Wheezes shop that had opened over the summer.

It could easily be considered Naruto's perfect heaven, and the product selection had encouraged greatly over the past two years. Against one wall were two selections of products, a deep blue Wizards section, and a glaringly pink Witch's section. The opposite wall had an expanded combat based selection, and held every defense, stealth and prank fighting product developed, while the wall along the register had products developed especially for students; spell-check quills, day dream charms, skiving snack boxes and more.

Sasuke grinned at the sight of vibrant red hair and clashing magenta robes as he approached the register, well aware of Shino and Naruto sneaking off.

"Hey George, how's it going?"

The red head laughed, eyes flashing mischievously. "Oh you know…same as always."

"Who'd you get today?''

"Let's see here….slipped some U-No-Poo in some bratty kids stuff….then there was this old guy….slipped some Canary Creams into his bag…"

"You are a bad, bad, person. I love you."

The red-head grinned, "Don't they all?" He laughed, "Now who're the kids you brought with you?"

"Naruto's the blond….he might be your best customer. The other guy's Shino." He said, sparring Naruto a quick glance, he saw the blond was looking at every prank item he could get his hands on, while Shino was browsing the combat based section. Typical.

George nodded, "Then I…shall be happy to corrupt him. Now go! Shop….and spend all the money you want, I'm sure you deserve a discount for _something_."

Sasuke rolled his eyes, but complied, vanishing into the crowd.

* * *

Half an hour later, the boys were ready to check out, with Sasuke buying some of everything, Naruto buying every prank-item in the store, as well as some cheating items for school. Shino was the only practical buyer, as he bought Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder, a pair of shield gloves, extendable ears and a few rolls of rope that turned invisible when tied.

Once Sasuke paid, the group left the shop, resuming their wandering, though this time in the direction of the Shrieking Shack.

After a while the group stopped by another store, this one smaller, closer to the forest, and selling more practical items. Bags, shrinkable shelves and storage areas, jackets and sturdy clothing lined the shelves. Shino had gotten them to come into the store, pointing out that the leather pouch he'd worn had been destroyed.

In the shop, Naruto had instantly been captivated by the jackets, several of which were orange, and though they were admittedly still a horrible color for a ninja, it was a bit better than his old jacket.

However, just as he looked at the price, a feeling washed over each of them, subtle but deadly in its own way, and the jacket nearly slipped from his fingers.

Chakra washed over all of them, though it held a sinister hint, almost poisonous in it's pressure, threatening upon suffocation.

The chakra was reminiscent of the Kyuubi, Naruto shook his head in an attempt to clear it, joining Shino and Sasuke as they headed towards the door, fighting the Kyuubi's steadily increasing influence. It wanted out, to deal with that threat, to take care of what challenged it's power.

Sasuke pressed a hand to his shoulder, Sharingan activated, the tomoe spinning in an attempt to force the Kyuubi back, helping Naruto suppress it temporarily.

Both Gryffindors looked to Shino, who looked troubled, nothing had to be said to ask their question. "There's only one person with chakra here…" He murmured, "One aside from us at least…and it'd answer questions…But there's always a chance it isn't her…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, they'd yet to explain that aspect of Shino's suspicions to the Uchiha, "But this?"

"Anything possible….we just have to be careful. I'll take care of it. You need to get back to the castle."

"What? Hell no I don't!"

"Look at yourself, Naruto." Shino replied, "The Kyuubi's only going to get aggravated. It's going to cause issues if you can't control it, and if you can you'll be so focused on doing it….you'll be distracted. And Sasuke needs to head back to keep you under control." His words were firm, holding no room for argument.

"Or you know…you could get yourself killed going in alone." Naruto replied, looking towards the woods, where the chakra radiated faintly from.

"With these levels, the host is still under control. If it's Lexi she won't attack me. If it's not, then I can attack with the intent to kill, and if that happens, it'll be easy enough." Shino retorted

"But-"

"Naruto, do this for me." Shino said, "You know fully well I can handle it when a demon comes after me. And you know I can kill if necessary. You need to trust me on this"

The blond snarled, but complied after a moment of staring the Aburame down. "Fine. But dammit Shino, if you die……"

He nodded, "Uchiha, take care of him. I'll see you tomorrow, if I don't get back in time." With that, Shino slipped into a forest, unnoticed, before shifting to the branches, while the others exchanged worried looks, but headed back to the castle.

The Kikai were quick to find the source of the demon chakra, and soon Shino had found the tracks leading to it. The insects quickly passed knowledge onto Shino, Lexi sat in a snow covered clearing, her chakra was balanced with a demons. The chakra aura around her was nearly poisonous in it's intensity. It screamed danger to the creatures.

The closer he got to Lexi, the less life around her, and when he was just an eighth of a mile from her, not an animal was around. They'd fled in fear.

He dropped to the ground just before reaching her clearing, before slipping from the trees, clearing his throat slightly.

She was up in an instant, demon chakra warring with magic and her own faint chakra. It all made sense now, chakra pathways had been forced to form to accommodate the demon's chakra, and like the way his chakra had been converted to magic, her magic had been converted to chakra. It was still faint, but stronger now.

Hazel eyes shone with poison-green highlights and her nails were longer, thicker and clawed slightly. She glared at him, giving off a vibe completely different from her usual attitude, the demon's influence was strong.

"What are you doing here?" Shino asked, quietly, calmly, Kikai spreading silently across the clearing, easing around the girl, ready to drain her of chakra if she struck.

She didn't speak for a moment, judging her answer; she still had her conscious thought, a good thing for Shino. "It's a spell, I'm experimenting with it."

Shino smirked, "Try again." He said simply, he and Naruto had been waiting for an excuse to figure out her chakra levels, there would be no secret-keeping here.

She was on guard now, and if Shino was reading her right, the demon wanted her to attack, and she was fighting it, hard. "How would you know?"

Decisions, decisions, how should he go about explaining this? "I've seen it happen before, it's hardly new to me."

Her control snapped, the demon took control, and the demon launched Lexi at him, clawed nails reaching for him. She was fast, for a civilian, but nothing for a shinobi, and as she neared him, he side-stepped, Kikai swarming her body. The drained the demon's chakra roughly, and quickly, taking no pity on her. The demon couldn't replenish the chakra quickly enough, the chakra pathways were too thin.

He quickly pressed her form to a tree, careful not to touch her skin. The Kikai screamed at him that she was poisonous, could destroy him from the inside, this was dangerous. They told him the rumors were true, she had killed that man.

"Let's try this again?" He suggested, still quiet, still calm, "You say goodbye to the demon for a moment, and we can talk this out like civilized people. She snarled, but it was weak this time; the Kikai had drained every ounce of demon chakra present in her body, as well as her own chakra. She had little energy left, and was fighting for consciousness, though she still fought him. "Or I could always knock you out?" To emphasize his words, the Kikai increased thee drain on her body. Another snarl was his only answer, and he shook his head, pressing a hand quickly against her pressure point. Drained of chakra and magic, she slummed forward, unconscious, and Shino sighed, binding her quickly with the charmed rope he'd gotten from the shop.

* * *

**Well...I suppose that's that. Huh?**

**We (well you guys) finally know how Lexi has her chakra now...but of course now we only have more questions I assume? So feel free to throw some more theories at me. Cause we all know that theories are awesome. The password is theories. But seriously...email me at crystalneko ymail (dot) com ......or review them.....or something. If you got one at least. I wana know what you think about how all this lovely stuff happened. And about whats going to happen next. And about just what Naruto's gunna do with another demon in the castle. yepyepyep**

**And for the record...I would honestly never let an angry or agrivated Naruto anywhere near another demon. The world might just end. Hell...it might end anyways. Screw 2012. Anyways...here's the deal. The first three reviewers who put in the mystery password in their review will get one of two things, one mini-plot secret given to them, or a non-plot vital idea given to me to incorporate into the story. Just say which one you want or you get nothing. yepyep. That's what I'm doing. Cause I'm just that cool (okay, not really. Just in a weird mood....so you guys get to benefit from that. Blame the crap load of food and soda I get cause it's super bowl night.**

**I'd give out a next chapter preview to you guys....but i'm afraid I'm to random of an updater to tell what chapter what's going to happen in. i tend to plot like....three days before hand. I'm a bad person like that.**

**Oh...and reviewers get pizza rolls...cause that's what I'm about to get.**

**See ya!!!  
~CP  
**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hi guys...don't have much to say this week, I'm afraid. Though I am sad to say I offered free spoilers last chapter, but no one gave me the password...*sniffsniff* Authors notes really do hold goodies on occassion...and I do mean more than virtual ramen and cookies.**

**Anyways...thank you to my reviewers: killing u with umbrellas, TrenchcoatMan and FallenHope-Angel.**

**I'm glad to see you three have stuck around, even with my reviews steadily decreasing. But as long as I've got one of you, I'll stick around. I'm stubborn like that.**

**Anyways...on with the chapter.  
**

* * *

Shino slipped silently onto the castle grounds, both himself, and Lexi, still unconscious and bound, cloaked under a complex genjutsu. He moved swiftly across the grounds, a burst of kikai left him, forming a clone to find the others, if Naruto was calm, he could be of use. Shino was primarily a hunter-nin. He found his targets, and when necessary, he killed them; it was Naruto who had more experience with interrogation, and he knew the blond had jutsu to make the target more compliant.

The bug user debated for a minute, before deciding it was better not to risk actually entering the castle, there was no telling what an individual could do to see through his genjutsu. Instead, he opted to scale the castle wall quickly, intensely grateful for the use of his chakra. Within minutes, he'd found an empty classroom in one of the towers, blissfully free of portraits.

He set the girl in one of the chairs, untying her arms for a moment, before rebinding them, this time to the chair. He wouldn't go easy on her just because she'd become close to a friend, as far as he knew, she could snap at any moment upon waking, and kill them all.

Not that he thought she'd actually do that; but he'd learned early on that appearances were deceiving.

Kikai returned to him, flooding him with information, Naruto had calmed down, though the Kyuubi was still on edge. He and Sasuke were on the way, both fully prepared for the unexpected.

The moment the two boys were in the room, Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Well? What happened"

"She attacked. Or rather, it did. Her skills are unrefined, she's had no proper training, her pathways are too underdeveloped for the demon to use them properly." He paused, "Her control is…decent."

"Define decent?" Naruto asked, looking over at the girl.

"She didn't try to attack me right away. She was still in control, and had enough of an idea of what she was dealing with to lie."

"But she's inexperienced?"

"Less than genin level skills, probably fourth year level taijutsu with the demon….and with how thin her pathways are…she'd only be capable of first or second year ninjutsu until she trained more….but without the demons chakra, I'd give her even less."[1] He replied

The blond nodded, "Good." He ran a hand through his hair, looking to Shino to reveal his eyes still shone the Kyuubi's bright crimson. "Now how're we doing this?"

"The easiest way possible," He replied, "I was thinking the Time Reversal Technique."[2]

The blond nodded, "That'd work, she wouldn't be able to lie under it, she'd remember anything she'd forget too….Let's just hope she actually pays attention to what we want to hear."

"She's a Ravenclaw…that's what they do." Sasuke pointed out.

Naruto rolled his eyes, but smiled slightly at the other, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever you say…" She looked over to Lexi again, "Ready Shino?" The Aburame nodded, "Then let's get this show on the road." He walked over to the unconscious girl and formed a few quick hand signs. Chakra flowed from his hands, and they all watched as Lexi's eyes fluttered open for a moment, unfocused, before sliding shut once more.

Naruto nodded, pleased with his work, before looking to Shino, "You wanna do this thing, or do you mind if I do?" His only reply was a shrug of indifference, "Right then, to get this thing started off, let's check something out." He turned his full attention to the girl, "Just to be sure…what's your name?"

"Alexandra Rehlem."

"Is that the name you were born with?"

"No. I was born as Alexandra Johnson."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, shooting Sasuke a look, who nodded. It wasn't a lie.

"Why'd you change it?"

"I was no longer welcome in that family."

"Why?"

"Murder."

Naruto looked first to Sasuke who shrugged, then to Shino. "She told me she'd been accused," He murmured.

"Who'd she kill?" He demanded.

Shino merely shook his head, "She didn't specify."

"Well, girl? Who'd you kill?"

"I didn't." Her voice held a note of protest, and more importantly, fear. "She did. She killed my father…I think…I don't know! She says she did it"

"Who killed him?"

"She never gave me a name…But she's in my head. She's been there for years, since I almost got hit by a muggle car. She looks like a Nundu. But she has two tails, and she isn't wild. She doesn't hurt me."

"What the hell's a Nundu?" Naruto demanded

Sasuke shook his head, "Giant poisonous leopard, it's damn breathe is apparently disease filled, and they're seriously dangerous things."

Naruto shook his head, "Fucking magic and their monsters." He muttered, "When did she kill him?"

"I went to the library over the summer of my fourth year. It was my safe place, the owner knew I heard her voice and saw her. He didn't mind…but one of his employees mentioned it to him. He didn't mind it before, he thought it was an imaginary friend. But he said I was too old, that if I didn't stop it I'd get in trouble. He found out before I got home, he drew his wand on me, and she got mad." She stopped for a moment, fear crossing her features, "I don't know what happened then; I was me, but she was me. I knew what I was doing, but it wasn't me and I couldn't stop it. I….She….we….grabbed him, and then my hand felt funny, and then he fell, and he looked sick. But she didn't stop, and she grabbed his arm, and my hands had claws and she cut him and then the wound turned funny and then he was dying and I couldn't stop it." Her voice held a note of hysteria, and finally, Naruto took pity on her.

"You can stop now…" He reassured her, and she stopped instantly. Naruto turned to his companions, "Have you heard of any of this, Sasuke?"

The Uchiha shrugged still looking at Lexi, "Bits and pieces. I knew he died, I knew she found some wizard who adopted her and that was why she changed her name. But that's it, it was covered up really well. She's got a cousin in Ravenclaw though, our year, I think."

"What I want to know is how the demon took control like that…" Shino murmured, "It's never happened to you, has it Naruto?"

The blond shook his head, "Only in the past, and I had to go 4 tails to lose my control." He said, "And she definitely didn't sound like she did that….but that doesn't quite make sense."

"Yes, but you were used to manipulating your chakra by then….if she wasn't used to it though….she might have been unable to control the demon…" Shino pointed out. "I've been sensing her at least trying to use her chakra….would it shock you if that gave her the amount of control she has?"

Sasuke hummed, "Could be…" He looked to Lexi, "Why _have_ you been concentrating your chakra anyways?" Her face remained blank, "Your energy? Possibly related to your Nundu friend?"

"She told me how to…she says it makes me better, she said it'd help against the death eaters, and it did. She does it when I meditate."

"What does she do, exactly?" Shino inquired.

"I don't know." She had lost her hysteria, her voice had taken on the monotone tone. "She does something and I feel different, and I'm faster and stronger for a while, then I go back to normal."

"Chakra concentration…" Shino murmured, "Trying to force her body to build chakra reserves without her knowing. It's clever…"

"So what was she doing in the woods?" Naruto asked.

"She wanted to do it where I wouldn't be seen."

"Why?" Sasuke pressed

"Naruto," Came the response, "She doesn't like him, he's too much like her, but he's not enough like her and it bothers her. He's dangerous."

The blond raised an eyebrow, "The Kitty-cat's got some common sense. She's so buried in there I didn't sense her….no reason to give a shit. But she's definitely in danger if we got in a fight…How'd your little buddy even get in you?" He asked

Confusion crossed the girls face, "I don't know."

And she truly didn't, that much was obvious. It also meant that for now at least, their work was over.

Shino nodded, looking briefly around, "Any more questions?" He inquired, only to be met by silence. "Then we're done for now. Naruto?"

The blond nodded, forming another quick series of hand seals; there was no visible change in Lexi, but he nodded after a moment. "The job's done. It'll mold her memories into her subconscious, she wasn't conscious to begin with, so there shouldn't have been much she actually remembers as happening…but if she does…it'll all be screwed up into a completely weirder out dream kind of thing. She won't know the details of anything that happened."

Shino nodded, looking out the window, "It'll be time for dinner soon." He reminded them, "You two head down, if it works, we _might_ join you."

Naruto hesitated for a moment, "How do you know she's not going to attack again?"

"Aside from the fact if she does she won't land a hit on me? Her chakra levels will give her away, and I drained her enough that the demon will have a hard time replenishing them the more I drain them. I'll be fine. Trust me, I can handle it."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Naruto sighed, "Just don't get killed, the gang back home would murder me."

The Aburame laughed quietly, but nodded, "Right. Of course." He quickly untied Lexi, picking her up, and recasting his genjutsu, before creating another bug clone. Naruto waited until his preparations were complete, before opening the door, and slipping outside.

The Room of Requirement was empty when Shino arrived, and for that, he was grateful. He set her lightly on a couch that had appeared, before taking a seat on a chair, one he noticed instantly, that was similar to one of his own from home. With a sigh, he began reviewing his plans for the night. His clone and another that had been transformed to look like Lexi had retreated to the Great Hall to keep off suspicion while he, for lack of a better word, hid out.

If left alone, Lexi could be dangerous, without being given an explanation, she was dangerous. And that meant Shino would be forced to wait around until she finally awoke. But, at the very least, it gave him time to think about what he would tell her.

It would be easy enough, he didn't really need to lie. Where he was from had plenty of people like her, demons. He'd been able to do what he had, because in the same way some people could work with and communicate with demons, he could do so with insects. If she asked about Naruto, it would be simple to just say that yes he knew, because he was from the same place, and that what he could do was for him alone to say.

It would be up to Naruto to tell her he hosted a demon as well. If the display from earlier was anything to go by, Lexi's demon was threatened by the Kyuubi, and if challenged, Shino had no doubt the Kyuubi would fight to defend his claim as superior. And it would easily shatter any of the truce Naruto and the demon had. Because the only way to defend his claim would be to kill Lexi's demon, and in turn, her host.

Sasuke would be trickier to handle, but she would probably believe it if he said he was from the same place as he and Naruto was. But he'd had amnesia, and was unable to remember, Shino hadn't known him well before hand, but was still working with Naruto to get his memories back.

It would work, if just barely, but it left Shino with a small dilemma. Should they train her?

On one hand, a demon without the ability to truly use it's chakra would be weaker, easier to handle. But if it truly went rampant, it would completely destroy Lexi, she'd have no chance.

On the other hand, training would make her more dangerous, but also, more useful. She didn't seem like she'd enjoy killing, especially if she considered Sasuke a friend. She'd be able to survive if the demon attempted to manifest it's control in a demon chakra cloak.

It was a tough decision, and a dangerous one at that, but there would be shock, and boundaries would have to be rewritten. Time would be needed before he could consider offering anyways. Everything would have to fall into place first.

His attention was forced away from his thoughts as the girl stirred, slowly and groggily, before seeming to realize where she was, and shooting up, reaching for her wand, only to find she didn't have it.

He fought back a smirk, drawing her wand from his bag, and twirling it lightly between his fingers. "Terribly sorry, didn't want you hexing me when you woke up." He said, quietly and calmly.

Shock flashed through her features, and Shino could only imagine she was remembering the confrontation in the woods. And hopefully only that confrontation.

She stared at him for a moment, "What were you talking about? How do you know _anything_ ? What did you _do_ to me?" She demanded

"We both know what…and who I was talking about, Lexi." Shino reminded her, "And I know, because I know the signs, and I've dealt with situations similar before." Admittedly those situations happened to involve helping a certain blond shinobi deal with the fact he was fusing with a bloodthirsty demon, but the details didn't matter. "And I can assure you all I did to you was knock you out." It was Naruto that had done the basics of interrogation after all.

"What kind of _situations_? And how did you deal with them?" There was fear in her voice, the kind of fear he saw in genin shook from their first war. She'd been prosecuted for years, he reminded himself, she probably expected him to say they killed them, he needed to be gentle.

"I've helped some people deal with…creatures…we call them Bijuu. While not normal, it's not unheard of. Each person is helped in a different way, but in the end, it's normally for the best."

"Normally?"

"Not everyone adjusts well. I'm sure you're aware they can cause pain, after all. Some spend their lives fighting them."

"How'd you know I was one of these….Bijuu?"

He stifled a chuckle, "Jinchuuriki. That's what you are, the host of a Bijuu. And you could say I have a sixth sense for that kind of thing."

"What's your….sixth sense?"

"The Bijuu's ….energy…it's different than an average persons. I can tell when it's present because your energy changes."

"How long have you known?"

"I suspected for a while." Or at least it had been an option, though one he hadn't suspected strongly, "But you gave yourself away earlier."

She was taking this calmly, subconsciously at least, she might have suspected he was different, as different as she was. "What did you do to me earlier?"

"I knocked you out."

"But how? The last time someone touched me when my…Bijuu….was in control…they….regretted it."

"I knew you were dangerous like that…so I didn't touch your skin. Problem solved."

"Then how'd you knock me out?"

For a half second, he debated on lying, but that wouldn't be conductive to building a good relationship with her, or her Bijuu. "I used my…energy. What we call chakra."

"How do you have it?" She demanded, nervous and worried once more.

"It's common where I'm from. Far more so than Jinchuuriki."

She froze, "There are _more_ people like you?"

"And more like you." He reminded her, "It's life, people are meant to make it more complex."

She frowned, "So….Naruto…is he?"

Shino nodded, "He possesses chakra as well."

"Then what are you doing _here_? How are you here?"

It was the million dollar question, and the one that still had no answer. Though it would be amusing to hear her thoughts on the subject.

"Well you see, Lexi. That's something that even we don't know." He smiled slightly, "But I'd love to hear your theories."

Her eyes widened slightly, and she shifted subtly away from him. There was the shock and fear he'd been expecting.

* * *

**[1] This is on the basis that students start ****the academy at the age of six. There's six years of training normally, seeing as most graduate when they're twelve.**

**[2] This technique puts the target in a state of reverse hypnosis, allowing them to remember details that they otherwise would not. The target will comply with interrogation, but seems to retain his or her personality while under hypnosis.  
**

**Anyways....there's my chapter...which I'm proud to say was nearly 3,000 words long. I'm getting better. Keeping that resolution going strong.**

**Oh...and I feel I should say that this scene at one point included a near death situation, less of an interrogation and more of a beating, fun little jutsu, and other fun stuff. I honestly had it mentally written about....50 times. Oh well...this one works to...right?**

**Reviews get discount chocolate! (Those huge Reese's hearts that are like....as large as my hand, those gigantic hershey's kisses, or chocolate coins. Your choice.)**

**See ya in March!  
**


	21. Chapter 21

**Hey Guys..sorry it took an extra week….it's been a week from hell. It's musical season…so I'm dying of stress. No offense to any actors who read this…but I despise the cast sometimes…they don't pull their own weight when they aren't on stage. Or at least here they don't.**

**And thanks to my AMAZING reviewers: TrenchcoatMan, Saiai Angel Alchemist, Bwahahaha, and mangamaniacgurl**

It had been just over a week since Shino had come clean to Lexi, and in that time, so much had changed, and yet it had been in a way no one had noticed, excluding the other shinobi of course. On one hand, Lexi trusted him so much more, because he knew and hadn't tried to kill her or changed in the slightest towards her. On the other hand, she distrusted him because of his secrets. For a month he'd suspected but had told her nothing, she was afraid of any other secrets he still had.

Oddly enough, the three shinobi hadn't kept to many secrets. She didn't have a clue about the Kikai, or about the Kyuubi. But she knew about chakra, that it gave them special abilities. Sasuke had worked against any stubbornness the Kyuubi-and therefore, Naruto held against Lexi, until he'd convinced them to show her a demonstration.

It had been small, just a few fireballs, and a small chidori. Sasuke had been the only one to show anything, Shino was wary about revealing the Kikai, and the Kyuubi had flat out refused to agree on showing any jutsu, and the headache that came from fighting with the Kyuubi had Naruto refusing, though he had enjoyed himself hanging from the ceiling while Sasuke showed off.

While the three shinobi adjusted slowly to the fourth person in their little group, and the girl adjusted to people who could share a part of her world, life around the castle stayed the same. The schedule that had been set hadn't been interrupted in the slightest by their personal changes, and the wizarding world remained blissfully ignorant. That was the way the shinobi wanted them: clueless.

Shino slipped silently down the stairs to the Great Hall, a half step behind Lexi. The girl's chakra was stronger than it had been just a day ago; once a week she meditated, and the demon accessed her chakra, and that day had been last night. But this time, Shino took no chances, he watched and waited, leaving her side only after she'd finished her meditation, and the chance of the Nundu surfacing was nearly gone.

They made it to the Great Hall with little incident, taking their usual seats, with Lexi next to Luna, and Shino on Lexi's other side. He didn't so much as blink in surprise as the food appeared, and it was equally easy to ignore the look from the brunette who he'd identified as Lexi's cousin that Sasuke had mentioned during the interrogation. As far as he could tell, she'd kept Lexi well isolated for years, and wasn't at all happy that Shino seemed to enjoy spending time with her, and that with him, came Sasuke and Naruto. They were all aware the brunette was just another time bomb waiting to happen.

But for now, they were content to hold up an act, to pretend they were ignorant and unobservant. After all, there were more important things to do, like continue Sasuke's training to get his chakra levels to what they once were while attempting to get him back into shape to run kilometers at a time, without so much as considering stopping.

That thought made Shino smirk, it was a Sunday again, meaning the Uchiha would suffer another beating at the blond's hands. Admittedly he'd gotten better over the past month or so, but the size of the jutsu he'd shown Lexi, and the how exhausted he'd been after the mini-chidori still meant he had a long way to go.

Shaking his head at the thought of just how much fun Naruto was probably having as he planned the Uchiha's newest tests. The last had involved an intricate obstacle course, that Sasuke need to go through, hands tied behind his back, wandless and with weights that rivaled Lee's attached to his legs. And to make it worse for Sasuke, the course had been followed shortly by a Ninjutsu only spar. By the time the session had finished, Sasuke had been physically drained beyond belief, but no one could deny the improvements he'd shown from earlier in the week.

He frowned as Lexi motioned over to the blond in question, who sat at the Gryffindor table, having finished his breakfast at record speeds like usual, and now appeared incredibly impatient. Of course.

By now he knew Lexi expected him gone after breakfast, and for him to return only for meals, if they decided to stop for food, that is. And yet, despite the revealing of secrets, she hadn't questioned anything yet. And considering the knowledge-craving of many Ravenclaws, Shino doubted that would last long.

But for now, that didn't matter, because he was content to enjoy the food that the House Elves made, and to further irritate the blond by finishing the remnants of his meal slowly. Years of dealing with Kiba made it easy to handle Naruto, because while Kiba didn't have a demon, he had a horse sized dog that just loved to torment Shino. In that whole, "I just really love you" kind of way. And just because Akamaru had once been small enough to be carried, that merely meant he'd been small enough to get into things that no animal ever should, and get out of situations no dog should ever be in.

Five minutes later, Shino decided Naruto had waited long enough and bid Lexi a quiet goodbye, slipping quietly away from the Ravenclaw table and to the other boys, who were waiting near the door. Naruto gave him a look, half exasperated, half playful as he approached.

"Took you long enough…" He muttered, shaking his head, "Can we go now? I've got something fun for us to do…" He smirked at that point, flashing Sasuke a devious look.

Shino just sighed, "Something fun meaning torture for Sasuke?" He clarified.

Naruto nodded and Sasuke seemed to slump in defeat, "Let's just get it over with…." He muttered, "Will you ever get over tormenting me…?"

"Nope." Naruto replied, grinning, "I just love to torment the people I love."

"Then stop loving me…" Sasuke said, "You're driving me _insane_."

"So?" Naruto inquired, "No one else seems to care, and I have a bad habit of kidnapping Kakashi-senpai's[1] porn, stealing Sakura-chan's umeboshi and dumplings, and dying her flowers back….and it's hysterical to steal Sai's drawing supplies. It's only natural to torment you too. And I've got _years_ of torture to make up for."

"Fine, fine…I get it. But can you tone it down a bit?"

"Now why the hell would I do that?" Naruto asked, "After all….you're so much fun to torture."

Sasuke just sighed as they arrived at the Room of Requirement. Naruto quickly paced back and forth a few times, and once more, the door appeared. The boy grinned as he held it open for Sasuke and Shino, and both boys looked completely shocked at the sight of the Forty Fourth Training Grounds, more commonly known as the forest of death. Naruto looked ridiculously pleased with himself.

"This, my lovely companions, is quite literally an exact replica of the Forest…complete with giant man eating snakes and tigers, poison plants, massive leeches and so much more. My beloved Sasuke-kun….today your task is simple. I have a heaven scroll…..Shino will have the earth scroll…and we'll be hiding with them. All you've got to do, is find us, and fight us for them. You win…you get the scrolls. You win them both….and you get a prize of your choice. Of course, if say….you get one scroll and not the other…the the owner of the scroll you get…well…get's a prize." He flashed a quick smiled, "But of course….you've got to avoid the animals who'd rather have you as the meal of choice. That's all."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "That's all?" He asked, "What….I don't have to jump through rings of fire or something ridiculous like that too?"

"Why would I do that? You work with fire. You've got to be used to being burned."

Sasuke sighed, "And how long do I get?"

Naruto hummed, "Until you win….or lunch time…whichever comes first. Just well….don't be standing on a tree at noon. That might hurt." He chuckled, "This test begins….in five minutes. Now c'mon Shino."

Shino just shook his head, quietly wishing Sasuke good luck as he followed Naruto through the trees. Less than a minute of running later, Naruto lurched to a stop, Shino following a moment later.

The blond smirked, pulling a scroll out of his robes and passing it to the Aburame. "Alrighty here….our job today…is simple. We're testing his tracking skills, and his fighting skills. His observancy too….because he's got to avoid the animals. And his common sense, because the room adapts to the users….all of them, not just me. So it'll be a mental battle and a physical one. If he can get you down you may as well just give him the damn scroll though….or we'll be here for years. Think you can handle it?" His last question was teasing.

Shino just nodded, pocketing the scroll, "He'd better find you first….I'd rather not have to drain him completely without even giving him a chance."

"Are you saying he'd have a chance of beating me if he finds me first?" Naruto demanded

"Not at all….but it's more likely the forest will be destroyed and you'll be caught in the rubble."

Naruto laughed, "True……wonder if the forest would repair itself…" He mused, chuckling, "Guess we'll find out….I'll head east, you head west?" He suggested

Shino nodded, and in a moment the two boys took off, parting ways in preparation for the Uchiha that would try to find them.

Sasuke sighed to himself, Sharingan activated and senses fully aware as he searched the forest for his two temporary opponents. He'd been lucky so far, having avoided crossing any animals that were lurking in the forest.

He was, admittedly, just a bit nervous about the sparring part of the test. Sure he had four hours, and he was pretty positive he could use the room to his advantage, but that didn't mean he wasn't aware of Shino's ability to drain him of chakra in mere minutes, and of the fact Naruto could still easily out class him at his current skill level.

He hummed to himself, briefly mulling over the fact that there were snakes in the forest, and wondering if he could use them to his advantage. After all, he had worked with snakes at one point, and if his could talk to these snakes, if they could make his life a little easier, it'd be worth it.

But that was a plan for when the time came, and for now, he settled on focusing on the faintest hint of chakra that he'd picked up with the Sharingan. It was Shino, he knew, there wasn't a hint of demon chakra in his chakra, but that wouldn't make his job any easier.

With a sigh, he bit his thumb, drawing blood as he formed a quick series of hand seals. A moment later, the summoning jutsu was complete, his chakra dropped quickly, unused to the strength of the drain and a large snake, roughly a quarter the size of Manda had appeared beneath him. Like the other snakes, Sasuke had never once treated them with respect, they'd been little more than tools for him, in the same way they had been for Orochimaru. It was time to change that.

"Sune…" He began, hesitant, "I need a favor from you…"

If possible, the snake would have snorted, as Sasuke jumped down from it's body. "Look who's back…" It hissed, "For the first time in three years you've summoned a snake…a year after our master's death. To think we all thought you dead….What do you want, boy?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, "Orochimaru was not my master." He retorted, sighing, "But that's neither here nor there. I need to know if you can communicate with average snakes…"

The snake looked offended, "Foolish human. Why couldn't I?"

"Just checking…" The Uchiha explained, "Would you be willing to try to convince the other snakes in this forest to well….not attack me? And maybe go after the other two people in the forest….non-fatally of course."

"And exactly what would I get out of this arrangement?"

Sasuke hummed in thought for a minute, "There's a forest full of animals you can chase down and eat…as long as you avoid centaurs you'd be fine…And I'll actually summon you guys again…and not treat you like average animals."

For a moment the snake seemed to consider it, and finally, it bobbed it's head in a nod, slithering off. "I shall help you for now…" it agreed, as it left.

Left to himself, Sasuke took a quick breath. He'd be being helped by snakes, and he had the most experience in manipulating the room. It'd be hard as hell, but he could do it.

Quickly, the Uchiha raced towards where he sensed Shino's chakra from, and soon enough, he was forced to slow, preparing for the spar. A moment of concentration later, a replica of Kusanagi was in his hand the blade's weight reassuring to him. A moment later, he took off once more, soon finding Shino within his range of sight.

The Aburame's back was to him, but Sasuke knew that meant nothing. But that still meant he couldn't waste time. He focused on the Aburame's vitals, where he knew a blow would cause severe damage, took aim for just next to all of them, and launched a series of Chidori Senbon[2] at the other man.

He swore violently as Shino seemed to explode, insects flying everywhere. An instant later he felt them on him, and the drain of chakra that came with their presence. Swearing again, he focused lightning chakra through him in a Chidori Current, the paralyzing electricity killing the insects as they landed on him.

He had to find Shino, and the sooner the better. He couldn't just keep killing the bugs, he'd run out of chakra to fast, but if he didn't kill them, he'd run out anyways.

He caught the other's chakra once more, and without bothering to check if it was really the Aburame, sent a fireball in that direction. The tree burst into flames, and the flames spread rapidly. For a moment, Sasuke hoped he'd gotten the other, until more insects burst from the smoke.

Sharingan eyes scanned the trees quickly, searching for any sign of life or movement. In a moment of either sheer genius, or stupidity, he launched himself toward the fire he'd created, hoping the Aburame would be hiding in there.

The flames facing the area where Sasuke had just been were fierce, and smoke clouded the area, but he could see through it, to a clear in the fire where Shino still stood. The insects had been a diversion, Shino had masked his chakra completely, lying in wait for the Uchiha to miss him completely, or have enough luck to find him here, in the calm of the blaze.

The Aburame raised an eyebrow, the corner of his lip twitching in a slight smirk. "Well? Looking for this?" He inquired, pulling a scroll from his pocket, "You'll have to work for it"

Sasuke said nothing, merely launching himself at Shino, another Chidori Current rippling across his body. He'd intended to paralyze the other, take the scroll, and leave to find Naruto. But Shino was to fast and hi plan was nowhere close to working as Shino feinted and was behind him in an instant, perched lightly on the branch of a tree, uncaring of the fire around them.

Taking a whim, Sasuke concentrated on shuriken appearing, in Shino's shoulder this time. The room responded, and shuriken appeared, but they weren't in Shino's shoulder, they seemed to hover an inch away before clattering to the ground.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow, shocked. What the hell had the Aburame done to avoid the shuriken? They should have done precisely what he had to room do to them.

The fight carried on in this manner for another ten minutes, every attack Sasuke threw at Shino was dodged, everything the room should have done properly was deflected, and every movement of Shino's was perfectly calculated and not offensive in the slightest while the fire raged around them.

Sasuke was bordering on exhausted, his already lower than normal chakra reserves were being used up rapidly, even though he'd resorted to using the weakest of jutsus.

Shino was still going strong, it would take hours of fighting like this to come close to beating Shino, and Sasuke simply didn't have the chakra for that, or the time for that matter.

At that instant, Sasuke sensed the slightest hint of chakra, a snake, Sune and one other. There was the slightest of noises, and then Sune was flying through the air from one of the trees, Shino was in the air to avoid the strike, and the other snake struck then. Shino twisted in mid air, the wild snake didn't hit, but it gave the Uchiha the opportunity he needed, and he launched himself at Shino, a weakened Chidori current rolling through him. He made contact with the Aburame _finally_ and they hit the ground together. It took an struggle, Sasuke working insistently to keep Shino down, despite the mildly paralyzing jutsu, but Sasuke finally managed to pin Shino firmly to the ground. He succeeded for several long moments, until Shino threw him off, as if he was nothing more than a rag doll, sending Sasuke flying against a tree.

The Aburame walked over to him, calm and collected, pulling the scroll once more from his pocket and tossing it to Sasuke. "You've done well enough, for today. Have fun with Naruto." And with that, the Aburame vanished, as did the fire around them, leaving Sasuke alone, slightly bruised and panting for breath.

The wild snake was harmless, apparently slithering off for it's next meal as Sane's head swung towards him. "The other snakes have agreed not to harm you, temporarily, and they've found your blond friend. They will strike when you get closer."

Sasuke nodded, forcing himself up, "Take me to him?" He requested of the snake.

"I suppose…." The snake murmured, "But you owe me, brat."

The Uchiha nodded, "All the live deer you can eat….got'cha."

Naruto stood, pacing slightly as he waited for the Uchiha. It was far more than a little tempting to go find the Uchiha, and promptly beat him to a bloodly pulp, and see just how good he'd gotten.

He'd seen the smoke earlier, and known fully well that Sasuke must have found Shino. He trusted Shino to take care of Sasuke fully well, or at the very least give him the test of his lifetime before giving him the scroll.

Of course, the fight he was planning with Sasuke would make that seem like child's play. Sure, he'd give Sasuke the scroll if he worked hard enough for it, but that would require his opponent to use every skill he had, and plenty he didn't have.

His head shot up at the familiar feeling of Sasuke's chakra. His eyes bled red, and he felt the Kyuubi's eagerness to have another shot to test the Uchiha.

Sasuke appeared, perched on the back of a snake.

It was on.

Naruto looked more than ready for a fight, and Sasuke felt Sane tense beneath him, both in nervousness from the Kyuubi's chakra and anticipation of the fight.

The urge to fight sent adrenaline rushing through him, and with it came more energy, more chakra. He could do this.

Inhaling slowly, the Uchiha braced himself for anything, and launched himself at Naruto. The blond was nothing like Shino, he took the blow, locking his hands with Sasuke's, and pushing against him.

Sasuke could feel the weakness in his body, Naruto was holding back, not putting in all of his strength. The blond flashed a smirk, showing sharp canines pushing him back, forcing his back to a tree. Sane lunged at the blond, who twisted quickly out of the way, and then there were snakes everywhere, hanging from trees, on the ground.

Sane worked fast, and apparently, she'd made friends. Naruto swore quietly, snarling and dancing out of the way of snapping jaws. "Fucking snakes," he growled, "You're not eating me alive again." And with that, hundreds, maybe thousands of shadow clones appeared, and the snakes attacked them, each as unsure of the real Naruto as Sasuke. A group of clones surrounded Sasuke, forcing him away from the snakes, and another Chidori Current danced along his skin as they moved out of sight. The clones sent him flying backwards as the poofed away, and Naruto dropped from the trees above him

Naruto bared his teeth lightly, smirking. "C'mon Sasu-chan. Just you and me, no snakes, no clones. Time to see which one of us can fight. I won't even ask the Kyuubi for help, all you've got to do is pin me down."

Sasuke growled lightly in response, and he launched himself at Naruto once more. The weakened current of electricity that raced along his skin wasn't nearly enough to fully paralyze Naruto, and though he hissed in pain, and probably frustration, he was obviously nowhere near done.

A kunai appeared in Sasuke's hand, he brought it down against Naruto's head with all the speed he could muster, but it still wasn't enough, Naruto ducked out of the way quickly. "You need to be faster than that Sasu-chan…" He teased.

Sasuke growled as Naruto slipped by the kunai that appeared in his hands and Sasuke sent hurtling towards him, pinning Sasuke to a tree. The Uchiha hissed in pain as his head hit the tree with a sharp crack, his vision blurring for a moment. Naruto pulled away once more, his laugh taunting him.

"That's not all you've got, is it Sasuke? Don't be that disappointing."

Sasuke could do nothing more than pant, struggling for air. He was still too tired, to low on chakra, and had nowhere near enough chakra left to fight.

Naruto could see it, the knowledge was obvious in his gaze.

"Fine then….one last move….let's see just what you've got."

Sasuke understood fully well what Naruto wanted. A final clash, and he knew instinctively that it would be Chidori versus the Rasengan. It was only natural, and the thought of it felt pure, it felt right.

With a deep breath, Sasuke focused the remnants of his chakra to the palm of his hand. He could feel Sane vanish as his chakra depleted, as everything he had focused into one last jutsu.

The two launched themselves at each other, the sound of birdsong filling the air with the Chidori's creation.

Naruto was moving fast, only the Sharingan allowed the Uchiha to keep up with his opponent, and he saw in slow motion, unable to stop it, as Naruto's hand ducked, catching the wrist of the hand that held the Chidori, illuminating both of their faces with lightning, as an incomplete Rasengan connected with Sasuke's gut.

The Uchiha was sent flying, and moments later, Naruto appeared, crouched over the wounded and winded Uchiha.

"Glad to see you're okay, Sasu-chan." The blond said when Sasuke finally focused on him, "It'd be a shame if you couldn't carry out whatever I feel like making you do."

**[1] My reasoning for this…is that Kakshi is most definitely not Naruto's sensei at age 18. But…just calling him Kakshi from Naruto's point of view sounds weird….and I'm sure they still work together plenty…so that works…. **

**[2] Sasuke reshapes the ****Chidori**** in his hand into the form of countless ****senbon****. It has more specialized speed than the normal Chidori and can cause damage throughout multiple places on the body. Chidori Senbon can become even more effective by using it together with the ****Sharingan****, allowing one to precisely shoot for the enemy's vital points.**

**So….does the extra thousand words make up for the week of not updating? I hope son….sorry bout that though…..and see ya soon!  
**

**Reviewers get chocolate!!!  
~CP**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hehehe....another three week update. I mighta kinda sorta forgot to warn you guys about that last time....my mom had a double-sided neck surgery eight days ago and she got pneumonia afterward, just to make it even better, so I spent my update-day at the hospital with her, and was waaaaaaaaaay to tired afterward to even consider writing five words. My bad....**

**Then to make things better, my muse decided to temporarily say 'fuck you fanfiction' and give me a possible plot idea for an original story. So I'm fighting that story to work on this one. It really isn't working well. If I'm not careful I'll start righting about the freaking Bermuda Triangle. (Don't ask....really...)**

**Easter Dinner and surprise visits from unwelcome family members make nothing easier. And the people who I would gladly murder from Michigan would just love to take a road trip down to NY. So....I've got a shitload and a half of stress to deal with -.-  
**

**Anyways, onto people far more amazing than myself.....**

**Thank you my AMAZING reviewers: TrenchcoatMan, Saiai Angel Alchemist and Sora Hoshi. I love you guys.**

**And I am STILL not JKR or Kishimoto. I own nothing.**

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**Sasuke growled quietly, muttering darkly to himself as he rubbed his sore shoulder. Shino's fight alone wouldn't have been that bad, but he still ached horribly from the 'spar' with Naruto, and he was nowhere near thrilled about what he was sure would be hell that Naruto had cocked up for him next.

Just the thought made him want to throttle the blond boy.

Walking hurt after running through the forest for so long, his head still ached horribly from being slammed into a tree, his lungs ached from the smoke from his fight with Shino, and his back was killing him from being slammed into a tree. Add all that to his current exhaustion and lack of chakra, and he was truly shocked he was still standing.

Briefly, he despaired over the fact he couldn't see Madame Pomfrey for even some of his grievances. She would notice whatever he didn't point out with a simple diagnostic spell, and then she'd want him to explain. And there was no way to explain just where he'd been running to, and why he was so exhausted when he'd been fine at breakfast, or where the hell the fire had come from. Meaning he'd have to suffer in silence.

Sometimes he wondered if the smiling blond planned it that way. Making him suffer through meals and classes until he healed seemed like something he'd enjoy doing, just to see how he reacted.

He glared lightly at the blond as he all but through himself into a chair at the Gryffindor table, pulling Sasuke into the chair next to him, forcing Sasuke to comply to act normal, and subsequently setting his aching muscles on fire. He would kill Naruto....once he was good enough at least.

It seemed Harry was catching onto Naruto's happy and confident mood. The boys green eyes shone with excitement as Naruto launched into a discussion on Gods-knew-what with him. For a moment he considered the prospects of Naruto, The worlds most hyperactive, knuckle headed ninja, and the son, god son and adoptive uncle of three of the best pranksters: the Marauders. With proper influencing for Sirius and Remus, it would be a deadly combo. Sasuke hated to imagine what that would do to the mental well being of everyone in the school. Pranks from Weasley Wizard Wheezes, the particular ingenuity from Harry and his guardians, and Naruto's shinobi stealth and skills would lead to the school being pranked like never before.

Even the antics from fifth year would be insignificant compared to the havoc that could be wreaked. And it was debatable that Lupin would stop them, instead of giving them ideas. From Harry's descriptions, he'd been the tamest of his friends, the Marauders, but he could also enjoy a good prank, and he'd definitely encouraged the usurping of authority with the DA.

Making a mental note to keep Naruto far away from George and his shop (and with Shino would could hopefully restrain him from doing anything _too_ drastic), Sasuke turned to the conversation, digging into his food as he did so.

"-tterbeer. Or better, if we can. But that was amazing last time, if we can get it, and I think we need to do it again!" Naruto was speaking quickly and energetically, obviously enthused. "How often do we all just give it all up, let loose and party? I mean...come on!"

Harry just shook his head, this was the first time in a week that Naruto had tried to persuade the others in their year to get some more firewhiskey or even butter beer if they had to settle for it, and have a party. He'd apparently enjoyed the mini-party enough to want to do it more, probably constantly. Of course, given the Kyuubi's hand with getting rid of all side effects from alcohol and letting him have a clear head, he probably just wanted to watch the other's bear their secrets.

Unfortunately for Naruto, Harry had a point. "We're not exactly able to smuggle alcohol in here. It's not like someone can owl it here. And it's not exactly easy to sneak it in from Hogsmead, and we're rarely there anyways."

"But there's got to be something! Come on!!!" Naruto was really pushing for this, Sasuke couldn't help but wonder if there was some ulterior motive or another. He gave Harry a look, that despite, Kyuubi-altered, red tinted, dark blue eyes that were more animal than human, could easily test the will of the strongest wanted it, badly.

Poor Naruto. Sasuke kind of wanted to help him out, provide a loophole through floo powder or something, or even a refilling charm on an empty bottle...if that would work.

But on the other hand, who knew just what Naruto would do with the damn alcohol. That alone was worrisome.

"I'm telling you Naruto, I don't think we can pull it off. And I am NOT getting expelled, after six years of crap happening. Not over alcohol."

"But we're of age. All we have to do is not given to the little people and we're fine."

"Until they find it in your crap and get drunk on us." Ginny interjected.

"But don't they make candy and stuff with it in them?"

"Yes, but there's not nearly enough in there to get someone drunk." Sasuke pointed out, "Especially when you've got friends like ours who steal them all."

"Hey! I get mine stolen." Harry protested

Sasuke just smiled, "Precisely."

* * *

Lunch had been finished with the announcement that Heads of Houses would be having career counseling starting that after noon. Much to Sasuke and Naruto's amusement, Shino had to go, immediately , and lie through his damn teeth about something he would consider if they had to stay in the wizarding world. Naruto's bet was an Auror, seeing as that was mostly what they were now, or at least it was the wizarding world's equivalent. Sasuke disagreed, and was betting it had something, anything to do with his damn bugs.

After all, if there were magic demons....maybe there'd be magic Kikai too. And if anyone could find them, it was Shino.

Sasuke had barely gotten out of the Great Hall with Naruto before he was confronted by a first year with a note from Lupin, asking Sasuke to come by before the career counseling for discussion about...something. The note was sadly lacking in information, but Sasuke was more than willing to meet with the Gryffindor Head of House. Naruto however, opted to meet Sasuke at the Room of Requirement after the meeting. He normally didn't mind the professor, but he didn't like how canine the other man seemed. It was subtle, well hidden, but he'd given off canine-like vibes since the day they'd met, and though he could normally ignore the feeling the older man carried it was harder for some reason, now. For the second time since Naruto had arrived.

Sasuke smirked, probably guessing the blonds reasoning, having once been confided in about the Professors oddities. He normally wouldn't have minded telling the blond, but he knew it was merely because the full moon was nearly upon them. It was the same way that he knew Naruto would worry until he could _see_ that Lupin wasn't a hazard. And that alone would endanger both Lupin and Naruto.

Bidding the Uchiha heir a quiet goodbye as they parted, Naruto sighed, wandering the stairs, bored. Through the corridors, past empty classrooms, wandering aimlessly instead of heading straight to the Room of Requirement. The Defense room was on the other side of the school after all, so no matter what, Sasuke would be later than Naruto. He paused for a moment, looking out the window, towards the mountains. He itched to explore them, to see just what he could find up there, but Sasuke had explained they were to far away, the grounds were warded against letting students out. So he would never be able to find out.

Running a hand through his hair, Naruto grinned, wondering if he could somehow make the Room turn into the mountains, and debating on just what he could do to Sasuke if they would. Oh the ideas were endless.

Laughing as he turned to the corridor that led to the steps to the next floor, Naruto smirked, spotting his fellow Jinchuriki. Speeding up, he slipped an arm around her shoulder, ignoring the Kyuubi's half-hearted complaints. "Hey there, Kitty-cat. What'cha doing?"

She tried, in vain to shrug off his arm. "Nothing..." She sounded hesitant, obviously not quite adjusted to his touchy-feely behavior. "And why do you insist on calling me that?"

"Because you are Kitty-cat. End of story. Resistance is futile." He replied, "And if you're not doing anything....you should help me try to torment Sasuke..."

"Torment....Sasuke?"

"Yep. Remember that chakra we showed you?" A nod, "We're making him use that more....so it's my job to think of different ways to do it. We could do it to you too..." He suggested as an afterthought

She looked more than a little wary at the last suggestion, but also like she might consider it.

The Kyuubi liked that idea a little to much. The thought of putting, not Lexi, but the Nibi-lookalike, through hell and back, was appealing. It'd prove plenty about the demon, maybe make it worth something more than a nuisance, and more importantly, make sure it realized the Kyuubi was superior, and would always remain superior.

Lexi was quiet for to long, and they were almost at the Room, "Please?" Naruto wheedled, "You've known Sasuke more recently so you'll be able to help him better. And it'll be fun. And you can finally see just what we get up to when we train."

Finally, Lexi consented, if only because she knew the blond boy was to stubborn to let her go. "Fine...but I'm not actually doing anything."

"That's all I need you for Kitty-cat." He replied, grinning as he sped up and dragged her into the room. To his amusement, and her confusion, it looked like a Konoha tactical planning room, which Naruto had seen once, and only in a tour of a building. He was, after all, a fighter of instinct, not strategy. But the chairs were comfortable enough, and there was plenty of paper, so it seemed suitable to the both of them.

Lexi was still tense, and Naruto wondered if it was her demon that kept her on edge, after all, it liked Kyuubi no more than Kyuubi liked it, but Naruto ignored that as he spread out a few sheets of paper. "So...I'm thinking....we throw Sasuke in the mountains and see what he can do."

* * *

Ten minutes later, neither Sasuke or Shino had shown up yet, and they could only assume that one or both of them had been distracted by something, or were on their way. But Naruto now had today's little session planned out nicely, and ideas for several more running through his mind. Naruto had spent the majority of training sessions with purely physical or jutsu related means of creation and testing. But just a bit into the planning session, Lexi had opened up, and brought ideas of magical creatures, poisons and charms into the equation. Sure Sasuke couldn't use magic, but he could use any other skills to defend against it.

He would have some fun with the Uchiha this time around.

The room had shifted around them, and though there were mountains less than three feet to his left, the comfortable chairs remained for their relaxation, and Naruto was currently grilling Lexi on everything and anything he could think of. Their small bonding time had opened her up, not a lot, but enough he was getting answers, an accomplishment in itself, and he'd milk it for all it was worth. He'd learned a bit, she lived with a librarian, she didn't like the cities, or people for that matter. But he was temporarily through with small stuff, and there was a burning question he just had to ask.

"Alright. Sasuke said you helped him a lot last year...right?" Lexi nodded, "How?" Sasuke had passed it off as stubbornness and pranks, Naruto sensed their was more.

Her hesitancy returned once more, and Naruto cursed it silently. What the hell was she so nervous about?

"Well....you know how I...." A pause, "I'm not..." She sighed, "My Bijuu." Ah...now there was a start, though it was one the Kyuubi still wasn't fond of. "We...worked together...I guess. I'd mediate before we started...and when I snapped out of it, I was stronger and faster, and since no one here actually does anything because of magic, so thanks to that... I wasn't caught..."

"So Doku-neko-baka-san....is the only reason you could do anything?" Naruto summed up, curiously. That would have to hurt....people not liking you....and then if they tolerated you it was because of something you didn't actually do yourself. Ouch.

"What?"

Oh...right. She didn't have a clue what she just called the cat-bijuu...did she?

"Roughly translated....Poison cat idiot. No offense...."[1] It wasn't like the Kyuubi was the smartest either. Hell, the damn fox was the reason he got into some of his messes.

"Idiot?" Her eyes flashed acid green for a half second, to fast for anyone not a shinobi to catch. He'd probably made the bijuu mad, and if something happened, the Kyuubi was far to happy to reciprocate.

"Well yeah. I mean....you got caught. In public. And could have seriously done some damage to Shino." He pointed out. "Not all that smart."

A low, nearly inaudible growl sounded, he doubted Lexi was even conscious of it, but it still took effort not to reply, the Kyuubi had to remain reigned in. It'd be bad if she died.

Lexi fought for a moment with herself, or rather her demon. "It's reversible, if I catch it in time..." she protested, though it was weak, had he struck a nerve? "It's happened before."

She'd lost control? Near a civilian? That wasn't smart, and they were lucky to be alive. He leaned towards her, catching the green glint of light in her eyes. "Then who'd you almost kill?"Fear flashed for a second in her gaze, as he closed the distance between them; the Kyuubi was close to the surface, she could sense it, and sense she wasn't nearly as strong as him. "Tell me." His words were half growl, half speech, the Kyuubi wanted to know.

It was her, or the Bijuu-he couldn't tell which- that submitted to his demands, "It was Sasuke."

Control was lost in a second, the Kyuubi snapped, as much as Sasuke irked it, he was territorial about the Uchiha. The mountains and chairs dissolved, and Naruto slammed the girl against the wall, pinning her by the throat. He was aware of demon chakra flooding her, of poison forming, but the Kyuubi could easily destroy that. He'd done worse to himself, after all.

His fingers and arms tingled with the poison, he was aware of clawed fingers digging into his arms, trying to force him away, but Kyuubi was pissed and Naruto was furious and content to let Kyuubi take control, and he wasn't going to let this go. "How dare you touch him?" He snarled, baring his teeth "How dare you consider harming him?" It was an accident, he didn't care, Sasuke was never to be touched. They'd fought to long for the Uchiha heir, and dammit he was _theirs_.

He'd no more than thought the words when he sensed chakra and a drain on his own. Lexi's lessened as well, though he wasn't sure if that was the Kikai's doing, or her own weakness shining through again. But he consented to Shino's silent demand after a moment, drawing the Kyuubi's chakra back into his body and releasing the girl, who tried to stumble backwards, and failed to due to the wall. She pressed against the wall, fearful.

Shino moved between them, Sasuke was behind him, hand on his shoulder, restraining him slightly. The Kikai had yet to leave him, the drain continued. "Call them off." His voice still held a hint of a growl, a hint of the Kyuubi's influence. He was grateful when the Kikai swarmed Shino and vanished, though the Aburame didn't drop his stance, and Sasuke had yet to relax behind him."I'm in control. It's over."

Shino's look was speculative, Naruto knew that even with the shades, he knew there was more than Naruto was willing to say. But he was a true comrade, and would save him the pain of answering immediately.

"Just get her away from me." Naruto urged, "Let me calm down....let us..." he trailed off. Let them do what? Find out if she was telling the truth? Find out if Sasuke knew before hand? If he was still okay? When it had happened?

Shino looked deliberately at Sasuke "Watch him." He ordered "If something happens, the Kikai will know."

Naruto looked momentarily pained "Get her out of here....now." He urged, and finally, Shino obeyed, guiding Lexi quickly out of the room. She still looked mildly frightened, shell shocked and stunned.

"Come on." Her said quietly, not stopping as he lead her through the halls. "You're fine, I'll....explain later. Just keep moving for now." He worked to make his voice soothing. He wasn't nearly as good at keeping people calm as his teammates, but it would be just wrong to have her start hyperventilating because of the blond idiot.

* * *

Naruto was trying to keep his calm. He really was. It just wasn't working, because Sasuke had been poisoned. By Lexi. By a Bijuu. And he'd had no chakra. No skills. Nothing to defend him. He should have been safe away from Orochimaru and Akatsuki. But he could have died. At the hands of one of his friends. It was wrong. And yet, so familiar it hurt. After all, he'd nearly killed Sasuke too. And he'd nearly been killed by Sasuke.

Sasuke stopped his pacing-wait, he'd been pacing?- by stepping in front of him. "That's it, Naruto. What the hell's wrong with you? What did she do that set you off?"

Naruto opened his mouth, closed it, shook his head to clear it and tried again. "We were talking, we brought up her Bijuu. She said, she could reverse the poison effects. She said she knew because it had happened to you."

Sasuke frowned, "What? I've never been poisoned anywhere near her!" He paused, shaking his head, "I mean there was this one time when we sabotaged Snape's stuff and dismantled his potion stores....And afterward I felt like shit. But he just set a curse to keep them safe. That's so like him...why wouldn't he. It was Snape."

The silent question hung in the air, 'or was it her?'

"She said she did it to you. It could have been then, it could have been some other time and you didn't feel it." Naruto said, quietly, subdued. "But she did poison you somehow, on accident....I guess."

Sasuke shook his head again, trying to clear it. "Why did it set you off though? You wouldn't have known I'd died, after all."

Naruto averted his gaze for a moment, remembering his realization from earlier._ Sasuke was his._ Words weren't, and never would be, Naruto's style. But Sasuke had the right to know. And so, he reached out, hesitantly touched Sasuke's shoulders, mentally bracing himself. And giving himself no time to think, he swiftly leaned forward, and pressed his lips to Sasukes.

* * *

**[1] Honestly...I'm guessing. I don't speak Japanese. I'm not that awesome. So if one of you guys do....and that's wrong....or something. Tell me? Please? Nicely that is...**

**So....Umm....yaoi anybody?**

**Oh....I finished this chapter at 11:56 my time. Meaning I love you all because my family is completely CRAZY (not on the good way) and there was plenty of tension in my Easter gatherings today..and before them (I hate my Uncle) and after (stupid people). But I love you all far to much to make you wait another week for a chapter. I'm not that mean. Am I?**

**Anyways....Reviewers get Easter Eggs (of either the chocolate or eggy variety)**

**And now, my friends. I. Am going. To sleep.**

**Niiiiiiiiight!**

**~CP  
**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey guys! Look! I'm on time! It's a Christmas Miracle!!! (No I do not care that it is April. It is ALWAYS a Christmas Miracle. End Of Discussion).  
**

**Anyways....I can not guarentee your next update for this story will be in two weeks, or three. I'll try. You should know by know that I will always attempt updates on time. But, my next update Sunday, is on the week from Hell. I have two AP exams, and Inspection and A competition. I may kill something by the end of the week. I plan on going on a week long nap afterward. I've informed my teachers I'll be unresponsive and I may sleep in their class. Because it is truly the week from hell.**

**On another note, I'm working on a documentary thing for a book with a bunch of really awesome people. They're hysterical, and amazing. i know documentaries are normally boring, but making them is pretty awesome....**

**Oh....and fair warning, a twilight plot bunny bit me last night. Mom rented Twilight, and New Moon. And then I got obsessed with details. And then little things just kind of...clicked. And now I've got a oneshot in the making. So if you like Twilight...I suppose you may as well pop in one of these days and check it out. Or spread the word. Your choice.**

**The crappy thing with the above is that two days ago I was completely disillusioned because I write and saw enough plot holes to kill me....and now it's back. With a vengeance. Damn vampires.  
**

**Anyways, onto people far more amazing than myself.....**

**Thank you my AMAZING reviewers: TrenchcoatMan, , mangamaniacgurl, killing u with umbrellas, Deviously Ruined Rose , XxAlysxX and kittycat5261**

**And kittycat....so totally got a kick out of your name after that last chapter. I was tired, so it amused me.  
**

**And I am STILL not JKR or Kishimoto. I own nothing.**

**And that, was a long A/N  
**

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* * *

**Confusion and conflict warred in Sasuke's eyes. "Naruto...what?"

Naruto shook his head, trying to clear it. "You're mine, Sasuke. I've given to much for you, I've given everything. And I can't fight anymore. I won't, I can't, let anyone hurt you, or even touch you." He confessed, quietly, running a hand through his hair.

"What do you-"

"Mean?" Naruto finished, "You've been everything since the day you left. Everything I did, it was all for. To find you, to help you. At first, I thought it really was what I told you-you know, back then- that we were brothers. I never told anyone, but, for me, it wasn't. I've ignored it, I've fought it, you weren't yourself, and then you were so happy, like this. I couldn't ruin it. But I give up. I can't any more."

"So you're..."

"Gay and had a...crush." It was obvious he didn't like that word, "On you. Yep." He turned, unwilling to face the Uchiha.

"But what about Sakura?''

"It didn't work for a reason," Naruto muttered, "There was, dammit there was nothing. Not compared to what I felt when i thought of you. I love her-as a sister. I'll keep her safe, protect her, threaten the first guy to touch her, and kill the ones who hurt her." He explained, "But it's not, well it's not the same. And nothing has been." He turned towards Sasuke once more, eyes swimming with emotion, "Now please tell me what the hell you feel about this."

Sasuke pressed a gentle hand to Naruto's shoulder, "I'm shocked. But you know that. But it isn't bad, it's..." he sighed, "Unbelievable for one. Unexpected, but it's almost... no...it is. It's right." The grin that split Naruto's face would have been comical if the situation wasn't what it was. "I never really let you go, you know. Even here, when I didn't know it was you, you were always in my mind. It put me through hell when I saw you."

"Really?" Hope and joy swirled in Naruto's eyes.

"No, I'm lying to you." The Uchiha commented sarcastically. "Since day one, there was a blond moron in the back of my mind. It was mostly the fight...but there were good things, I almost knew we were friends, that there was something and-"

He was cut off by Naruto hugging him, picking him up, and swinging him around. "So you....and me...and...we're.." Sasuke nodded, laughing, before the blond cut him off with another kiss, as the room morphed around them once more. "Talk later." Naruto growled "We've got better things to do."

* * *

Shino sighed as they entered one of the rooms in a western tower of the castle: the Kikai had informed him of the secluded room as a good safe place, and this would need it. Lexi was still obviously shell shocked, she didn't move from his side, she hadn't said a word, and he couldn't blame her. When Naruto had been set off, it had been bad, he could sense the other's chakra from the halls, where he and Sasuke had met up, and it was pure luck that he had listened to reason, and the drain of the Kikai. He could have easily killed her.

But for now, there were more pressing manners. He gently pushed Lexi into a chair and survyed the information the Kikai were receiving. There was no current danger in the castle, for now all was well, even with Naruto; but he had a feeling he didn't want information on _that_ situation.

"Lexi, look at me." He urged quietly, gently. She obeyed slowly, still shocked. "Can you tell me what happened?" He asked.

She seemed to gain some focus at that, "We were talking, he wanted help in training Sasuke. He insulted my...demon. And then he said we were stupid because we could have poisoned you. But it's reversible and I told him that, because I know it from experience. And he asked what it was from." She trailed off, nervous, expecting him to snap as well, probably.

"It was Sasuke." It wasn't a question, because Shino knew it was the one thing that would set Naruto off, like that. She nodded mutely. "Then don't worry, he does that to everyone who threatens him." He informed her, sitting in the chair next to her. "It's nothing personal, and he'll forgive you."

She seemed to contemplate that for a moment, "Why was he like that?"

"Like what?" Feign innocence, maybe it's something else.

"Like me. He had the-what was it? Chakra. But it was like hers, it was dark and sinister and, well, it was like he wanted to kill me." She shook her head, trying to clear it of that thought.

It looked like it was time to explain just why Naruto had a minor aversion to Lexi. "He is like you....you posses a cat-demon, the Nibi. He hosts the Kyuubi, the nine-tailed fox demon. He is probably-if not the- strongest bijuu."

"He's like me." She was shocked, "And his Kyuubi...attacked me? Because I could have hurt Sasuke?''

"Yes."

"But he's stronger than me, right? So how did you stop him? Why didn't you tell me?"

"I didn't tell you because he should have. He obviously didn't do _that_ to well. And yes, he is stronger than you, drastically so. As for how I stopped him, _y_ou have demons that give you power. I have something else." Or rather some things. Several hundred thousand of them actually. Who inhabited his body in a more literal version of the sense. And he wasn't looking forward to the reaction she'd have.

"What do you have?"

"Kikachū, we call them Kikai. In english they'd be parasitic insects, or destruction bugs." Her eyes widened at the word insects. A single Kikai slipped from beneath his sleeve, onto his finger, and he showed it to the witch.

"How?"

"Clan secret. All of it. All I can tell you is that my family is bonded with them as infants, and that we work with them."

"But they're..."

"Bugs? Yes."

"Inside you? Or your clothes? I haven't seen them, how are they even alive?" Her voice was bordering on slightly panicked fear.

He chuckled darkly, "Inside of me. They feed off of my energy....my chakra. You'll only see them when I need them for something. As spies or for fighting."

"Fighting? They're bugs!"

Well, at least she was thoroughly distracted, it was better than her hyperventilating, or panicking or something equally as worrisome. "Yes.'' He spoke slowly, careful not to shock to badly, "Several hundred thousand of them. That feed off of chakra. Or magic. They prefer magic actually, it's sweeter. But it's what they did to Naruto. They can consume more of it than you would expect. It's how I subdued Naruto."

"You subdued Naruto....with energy draining insects....that live inside of you?" She clarified, "And they communicate with you..."

"Yes."

"Is there anything else you aren't telling me?"

Shino hummed to himself, she knew about chakra, kikai and the Kyuubi. She knew Sasuke was one of them, and that they were training him to become stronger. She knew they weren't from anywhere around Hogwarts. Oh wait, there was something. "Not quite, but you may want to know that Naruto will probably be interested in proving to you he's head of this little operation. The Kyuubi doesn't like competition."

Lexi just went pale.

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke weren't at dinner, but there hadn't been an ounce of violent activity from the Room. Not that Shino would step foot into that room, one report from the Kikai was enough to keep him far away from his comrade, for a while. Of course, the little wizard friends didn't know anything about that, and there was no way Shino was going to use an ounce of information the Kikai had brought him to satisfy their need to know where they were. But from the looks they'd shot him all dinner long, they appeared to think he would.

The meal was over far to soon, and it was with a sigh, and a quiet warning to Lexi about the others, that he stood, and headed for the exit. His pace was calm, he wouldn't look like he was trying to avoid anyone, because really they were a nuisance more than anything else. Of course, nuisance that they were, Harry, Ginny and Draco were waiting for him, and fought the urge to just vanish. But it would be impolite to leave Lexi to deal with them, no matter how much he disliked social situations.

"How can we help you?" He inquired quietly, still walking and motioning for them to do the same.

"Where's Sasuke and Naruto? Last we knew they were with you."

"They were, but we split up about half an hour, maybe and hour after lunch. We haven't seen them since."

"So you have no clue where they are?"

"Not at all." That was a lie, they were in the Room, doing who knew what. "Knowing Naruto he probably dragged Sasuke into the forest for something. Find a something-or-other to harass for entertainment." It would be sadly like Naruto to go after an Acromantula, just to see if he could beat it. And of course, he would.

Harry seemed a little shocked by that, did he really think that Shino kept that close of an eye on the blond. Sure he might have needed that amount of supervision at one point, but he'd never really gotten it. "Well do you know why they weren't at dinner?"

"Well if they're in the woods, they're probably distracted." Lexi replied, "Or on their way back." Of course, Shino was sure that in the room, they were plenty distracted.

Shino fought back a sigh, seeing a look in Harry's eyes he recognized far to well, "You don't need to worry, I'm sure Sasuke's at least trying to keep Naruto under control. And Naruto can take care of himself."

Harry exchanged a glance with Ginny, and looked around the corridor they were in. With a sigh he pulled out a piece of parchment, tapped it and muttered something. In a moment, a map of the school unfolded, and Shino found himself intrigued by just what he could do with it. And with the questions it could answer. It did after all, have their names written on it.

Harry was studying it intensely, but Shino had already seen that Naruto's name was no where near the Room. "That has everyone's name?" Harry nodded, "Then why doesn't it have Sasuke's last name?" It was really just innocent curiosity, it would have saved them plenty of time after all.

"It was just Sasuke." Harry muttered, "No one knows why, even it's creators. But we think, it's because he doesn't have one. It added Pagano when he took it on."

So because Sasuke remembered no last name, he'd been saved then. Taking on Pagano made it Pagano. He knew he was an Uchiha, so the map would say it. It was a hazard now. Great.

Harry folded the map after muttering another phrase. "He must've snuck off the grounds or something. He's not in here, probably buying alcohol in Hogsmead. I told him that it'd be a bad idea...We'd better go try and see if we can find them."

Two civilians were planning on sneaking off of the semi-safe school grounds to find Naruto and Sasuke where they were definitely not at? Oh how Naruto would owe him for this.

"May we come with you?" He inquired. He could nearly feel their shock as he invited himself into a social situation, but Lexi masked it the best, and she was nodding in agreement.

"Come on, five is better than three, we can help." She urged. Thank the Gods she had a brain.

Harry nodded after a minute, "Yeah. Get disguised and meet us at the witch in ten." He said, and then he, with the others was off.

Shino just shook his head, and started walking in the opposite direction. "Come. I've got a lot of work to do." He muttered.

* * *

Four clones and a transformation jutsu later, Shino was with Lexi at the statue as requested. Two were disguised as Naruto and Sasuke had been the last time they'd snuck into Hogsmead, and were already waiting in the village, under his command and waiting for him to order them to 'run into' the group. With firewhisky, as would be expected of Naruto. The third clone was to warn the other shinobi of what was going on, if they ever surfaced, that is, as well as to keep his cover. A fourth was made purely to try and keep Lexi out of trouble. The rest of the group could be caught for all he cared.

Someone was already there, using a spell of sorts. The kikai could feel them, but not see them. It was disorienting.

Harry's voice was a quiet mutter, and soon the witch's hump opened, to reveal a small, dark tunnel, with two people, who Draco and Ginny had disguised themselves as, already waiting. "You weren't seen?" That was Draco, disguised as a brunette with close cut hair, and dark brown eyes. Ginny had short blond hair, and sharp emerald eyes, while Harry now had sandy brown hair and blue eyes. They'd all kept their build mostly the same though, unlike Shino, who'd opted to make himself a little shorter, but more muscular, and give himself short brown hair and black eyes for the occasion. Lexi had opted to shorten her hair and make it dirty blond, though her eyes were acid green.

"Of course we weren't seen." Shino replied, "Invisibility spells." Or rather a genjutsu, it was far more convenient. "Now shall we?"

The procession to Hogsmead was quiet, but it wasn't tense. Despite the rarity of the Ravenclaws' presences, the others seemed fairly at ease, and Shino took this opportunity to study Draco. He'd heard things about his House. And while he was one who didn't judge on rumors, he also hadn't seen the other enough to fully trust him, and most of his trust came from Sasuke. Harry and Ginny were the same way, but slightly different. He was waiting for Harry to have a reaction from his apparent fame, to go crazy, shun the world, or do something. Even Naruto had been unable to resist at first. He trusted Ginny a bit more than the other two, purely because he'd heard of more proof, she'd been their last year, after all. At least for part of it.

His thoughts were cut off by their arrival into the Hogsmead basement, and the quick ascent to the shop. Once more he was irritated at how crowded it was, and the rather disturbing bug candies. Thankfully, today wasn't a day of shopping, and after a quick skim of the shop revealed no red-headed Naruto, or brunette Sasuke, they continued. Shino knew his clones were loitering outside of Hogsmead, a little more than ten minutes away, but he couldn't hint onto that without risking giving himself away, and so he waited.

The joke shop was just as intriguing as the last time, and once more the defense section intrigued him, but Shino pushed that back in favor of leaving on the 'search'. The post office and pet shop returned the same results, as did the bakery, cafe, clothing store potions shop and finally, they were at the pub.

Harry grinned at the sight of his two 'friends'. "Hey guys! There you are!."

'Naruto' looked sheepish, and quickly gave the bag he was holding to 'Sasuke' who hid it behind his back. "Oh....H-hey Harry...guys. What're you all doing here?" The clone did a good job at being nervous.

Ginny smiled, "You weren't on the map, and Harry remembered that conversation about firewhisky, so we came to look for you."

'Naruto' just grinned, "Well you're a little late. I've got the goods."

Draco just shook his head, "Now why are you here?" he asked Sasuke.

The Naruto-clone grinned, "Well I kidnapped him. Why else? He's got money after all. And I spent all mine on candy."

Shino just shook his head, and the others laughed, the sad thing was, it was probably true.

"Great, so now we're smuggling in booze....again." Harry chuckled, "You better not make a habit of this. You're not supposed to become an alcoholic from one game."

'Sasuke' shrugged, "He's an idiot. So he'll do it again."

'Naruto' aimed a playful blow at 'Sasuke' as they headed slowly back to Honeydukes. The conversation carried on for a while, and Shino was content to be an observer. Instead of contributing focusing on realistic clones was far more important. He was grateful when, fifteen minutes later, it was done and over with. He'd spent nearly an hour with them to keep them out of trouble, and figuring out anything. Shino waited for the other's to leave before dropping the genjutsu, and informing Lexi that he wouldn't be talking much. She seemed to understand that the clones he'd made earlier would relate to it, though he hadn't explained it. They were nearly to the common room before Shino became aware of a pricking sensation from his clones. In a move so fast it barely existed, that the wizards who walked in front of them wouldn't catch, the real Naruto and Sasuke replaced the clones, both looking incredibly satisfied. The transition was smooth, and Shino let the Kikai from the clones wander.

The Common room was empty when they arrived, people were still out, enjoying the last of their weekend. As usual, Lexi made herself comfortable on the couch. Her bag was shoved under the couch, the pillows on the couch were altered with a subtle charm to make them softer for the girl who preferred the couch to her own dorm.

Shino left her there, planning to do some research before he slept, however, he stopped before he reached the stairs to the boys dormitories, and turned to the girl. "Lexi." She looked to him "Tomorrows my day to ask the questions."

* * *

**And we're done. And the laptops dying so I'm gunna make this short. **

**Yay....happiness for our boys. I may or may not write details to the end of that little scene in a oneshot. Because I've got at least one person willing to read some "Hot, graphic NaruxSasu yaoi", so I'm tempted. When I get time, who knows.**

**And reviews are love!!!!**

**And reviewers shall now recieve....cookies. Lots of cookies.**

**See ya soonish!!!  
~CP  
**


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, so I may have a series of excuses, but I feel like a jerk for neglecting my story and you guys for a month, so I'm not going to go into detail. But for the record, AP exams, inspection and being quite literally dragged around, is not fun. Neither is writers block. Oh...and whichever new reviewer, alerter or faver that had Kings Jackal on the favs list. You got my addicted to YuGiOh crossovers, I don't even know how the fuck that happened. But it was not conductive to Naruto in the slightest.  
**

**But....thank you to my Amazing reviewers (who hopefully won't abandon me...): Neko4, kittycat5621, killing u with umbrellas, XxAlysxX and Trenchcoat Man.**

**I honestly feel like I should be on my knees begging for forgiveness, especially from you last two, for I had no time to write my promised oneshot. So pleeeeaaaase forgive me?**

**pretty please?**

**with yaoi on top?**

**Okay....grovelling over....**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Harry Potter. I am not that lucky. I will never be that lucky.

* * *

**

Sasuke stretched slowly, ignoring the tug of pain in his lower back as he slipped out of bed. All he really wanted to do was sleep, it was, after all, a Monday Morning after an incredibly exhaustive evening. He nodded to __ as the other boy walked downstairs, and laughed quietly at the sight of the still-sleeping Naruto. Deciding to let the blond boy sleep, and against going back to sleep himself, the Uchiha went through his usual morning routine.

There were, of course, a few more spells needed than usual this particular morning. He could only imagine the questions that would revolve around having trouble sitting, and just what they'd been up to. Naruto wouldn't tell them what happened, but he could just picture the blond boy aiding in their interrogation, pretending he had no clue just why Sasuke was in pain. And it would only get worse if his robes managed to slip a bit, revealing more than a few red marks and bites.

Thankfully, magic had more than a few benefits to everyone who managed to sneak around for a bit of fun. A quick charm numbed the pain in his back nicely, and another hid the marks, he had a feeling Naruto wouldn't want them to go away anytime soon. He'd been _very _occupied with making them after all.

He rubbed his now normal-looking shoulder, and slid on his robes, looking over to the still sleeping Naruto. He had a great way to wake him up, and fully intended on doing so. He moved to the blond's bed, sat and pressed a hand gently to his chest. He was just about to lean down, and give the blond a pleasant little wake up when the sound of footsteps sounded.

Sasuke sighed, when the other boy walked over, it was Harry.

Sometimes, Sasuke really wanted to throttle his friends. In the most loving way possible of course. He wasn't exactly mad at him, it was just the timing that the other boy had; all Sasuke wanted was a few more moments alone with the blond. Not that that would ever happen very much, if it all.

"Hey, what's he still doing asleep?" Harry asked, "We've got classes today, and so we gotta go, you know…soon."

Sasuke frowned, and feigned a long-suffering sigh. "I know, I know. But he won't wake up.'' Mostly because he hadn't tried yet, not that that actually mattered.

Harry laughed, "Uhuh. Well, I've got a spell to wake him up. I'm sure you remember it." The look on his face told him just what Harry was planning, and that he doubted Naruto would like it. But, it wouldn't hurt the blond, and it would be an interesting situation, so why not?

He nodded and Harry flicked his wand, and Naruto went flying into the air, hung upside down by an ankle.

The blond shouted in protest at the rude awakening, "What the hell? Let me down you dirty bastards!"

Sasuke couldn't help but laugh at the blond's situation. On one hand, he felt bad for his lover, but on the other, he just looked so damn funny. Harry cracked a grin as well, letting Naruto down after a few more moments.

The blond muttered angrily in both Japanese and English as he dressed, damning both Sasuke and Harry thoroughly in the time it took him to pull on his robes and shoes. When he was done, he glared, but motioned for them to leave, letting Harry walk past him, and falling in step beside Sasuke as they went to the common room. "Bastard." He muttered in Japanese.

Sasuke smiled slightly, "You love me." He replied in kind.

"Not the point." He said, waving a hand to dismiss it. "You hung me upside down, by my ankle, while I was sleeping. That's a sick, twisted way to wake a man up."

"Well it wasn't my idea." Sasuke muttered, "Harry stopped mine. It was much better."

Naruto raised an eyebrow, looking incredibly curious, but Sasuke merely shook his head, flashing him a quick smile as they arrived in the common room, and headed over to Ginny, hugging her quickly. "Who's ready for another day of the torture, known as classes?" A chorus of groans greeted him. "Hey. At least the food doesn't suck." He pointed out. "Now seeing as we're all up anyways, mush."

Naruto nodded, "Yeah. Seeing as I woke up in the air, none of you are allowed to complain." He grumbled, "because that is sick and wrong."

Ginny raised an eyebrow, "What'd you do to him?"

Harry smiled guiltily. "Levicorpous. Sasuke let me do it."

"Yeah, because it was him or me." He retorted, "I kinda thought Naruto would flip more on him. Thought it might be funny."

"Hey!" Harry protested, as the others laughed, entering the Great Hall. "That's not right."

"Neither was hexing me in my sleep." Naruto pointed out. "And for that, you don't get to regulate my...purchases from last night." Admittedly Naruto was shocked to find out Shino had actually gotten the clones to buy the alcohol, he chalked it down the Aburame being through, but unfortunately for the Gryffindor house, the bug user also had no way to get it back from him.

Sasuke hit him lightly upside the head, "That's the last time we're going until the next official trip." He replied, "So don't waste it."

Naruto frowned as he sat down. "Teme, you're no fun."

* * *

Breakfast passed relatively uneventfully, Harry got a letter from his godfather, Ginny got a small box of sweets from her family and Naruto had eaten more food than any wizard had previously believed. The blond was amused at their reactions, really it was nothing compared to the way he ate ramen from Ichiraku's; now that was a sight to behold.

They were on their way to Herbology when Naruto caught sight of Shino, the groups remained separate, but, he nodded to the bug user in thanks for his help the night before; and he merely tilted his head in reply. What caught the blonds attention was the sign the other made with his hand, it was subtle and would look normal to any of the uninformed, Naruto recognized it as the symbol for the need to talk. Mouthing 'later' the Aburame he couldn't help but notice the fact Lexi hadn't looked at him. Great, he'd scared her, and as expected, the Kyuubi wasn't upset in the slightest over it. Damn fox.

He smiled slightly, shaking his head at the look Sasuke gave him. After the events of yesterday, things would change, it was inevitable. He and Sasuke needed to discuss their relationship: it wouldn't be ending, ever, but it was his choice if they told anyone. He knew Shino well, that meant that no one would have caught on, even the girl who seemed constantly at his side, so if the Uchiha heir wanted to keep it a secret, they would. After all, they'd been his family for over two years, if he didn't want to endanger their relationship, it was his choice.

And then their was Kitty-cat herself: she was a fellow Jinchurriki, and he could roll with that. She wasn't all that threatening, even with magic, so Kyuubi didn't exactly hate her. Honestly, Naruto suspected it was some demonic territory war; Kyuubi was bigger, stronger and more experienced, and was fully ready to prove it. Poor Lexi hadn't expected it, even if her demon knew it. And even if she'd expected it, she was so unprepared for it it was pathetic. They should probably work on that.

Absently, he wondered if he could help in her training, without the Kyuubi deciding to 'play'. That wouldn't end well if he decided to.

He yawned as they entered the greenhouse, instantly the scent of dirt and plants greeted the group and he smiled, just a little more at home here than he was in the castle, and just a little less at home than in the forest. He resisted the urge to try and pet the nearest plant, one that happened to have fangs, vines, and looked just a little bloodthirsty. Bloodthirsty plants. Oh how he wanted one for back home, his garden could use a little muscle.

He couldn't help but smile when they got their assignment for the day; they were to split into groups of four and harvest the sap from the venomous tentacula, the very same plant he'd notice earlier. Of course, groups of four did present problems, all four houses were present, and as such, Draco needed a group, as did the three Ravenclaws. Naruto was more than happy to split away from the normal wizards though, even though he was well aware it'd probably make Lexi nervous to be around her, but she'd have to live with it. If they were quiet enough, he'd be able to talk a bit to Shino, or at least, apologize to the girl. As a precaution he gave the demon fair warning to stay quiet and calm.

The groups split apart, each needing enough space to focus only on their own plants, rather than worry about another groups tentacula trying to strangle them. Naruto couldn't help but muse that a few plants from here would probably thrive in the forest of death, and make a great way to keep Sasuke on his toes during his sessions. Pulling on his dragon hide gloves, and once more wondering who the hell skinned dragons for a living, he smirked. "So...this crap is poisonous?" He clarified

"Only if you drink it, and even then, you won't die." Shino replied, and Naruto just shook his head.

"One day, I'll find out how you know everything." He muttered.

Sasuke just grinned, "Ravenclaws, they're freaky."

Naruto laughed, though the others didn't seem to care in the slightest about Sasuke's remark, focusing instead on the plant. The task sounded simple, two people would restrain the vines, the third would keep the mouth occupied and the fourth was in charge of the sap. Unlike the muggle way, wizards had a cool little device that just needed to touch the tree to begin tapping it. The problem was the tentacula didn't exactly like it, and thus the vines would fight even more to destroy the tap, and the tapper.

It was Naruto, who after his earlier musings about the plant that claimed the teeth, while Sasuke, who Naruto felt deserved a little payback, was volunteered to be the tapper. The look he got in response would've killed a lesser man due to fright, but once more, the blond was forced to stifle his laughter.

Taking their positions, the group approached the plants, the Ravenclaws grabbed the vines quickly, and Naruto couldn't help but notice that Lexi was good at this, tying the ends of vines together fairly quickly. Once he was satisfied, Naruto rushed forward to battle with the plants teeth; he tied it shut with a piece of dragon hide rope, though it still fought to snap through. Lexi muttered a spell, and the teeth were literally cemented shut, and Sasuke moved forward to tap it. Instantly the plant began to struggle, vines writhing in an attempt to stop it, the jaws struggling to snap at the Uchiha.

A vine lashed out at Sasuke, having escaped Lexi's grasp, and Naruto caught it in a gloved hand, aware of Shino moving behind him to keep the bound jaws still. The plant refused to give in, even as Sasuke conjured a small bucket and sap began to fill it. Another, longer piece of dragon hide was wound around the jaws, and Naruto used the loose ends as a set of reins, wrestling with the plant. Oh yeah, he so wanted one of these for Konoha.

Finally, they'd gotten their sap, and Sasuke fell back, bucket in hand. Shino nodded to Naruto, and a quick spell was used to sever the ropes before Naruto jumped back, narrowly avoiding losing his hand in the process as the cement gave way and jaws snapped at him. The others moved back as well, and he couldn't help but notice that Shino had several scratches on his arms and tears in his clothes from the spikey vines. On his other side, Lexi was subtly repairing her clothes, hiding the fact the wounds she'd gotten were already healing.

Naruto just raised an eyebrow, having heard she was a healer, "We're not supposed to heal our wounds in class. It's a learning experience." She explained quietly, still looking a little nervous, "But seeing as well...you know. I've got to cover myself. You should too." She murmured, nodding to his torn sleeve and the mostly-healed scratches on his forearm.

Naruto frowned, "How?"

Sasuke shook his head slightly, pulling out his wand and muttering a spell. "What I do for you..." He muttered

Naruto chuckled, "Shut it. You love me." Shino just shook his head, looking faintly amused. "Now come on, let's turn in our semi-poisonous stuff in. I wanna go try and poison someone. It's time for potions."

* * *

It was after Lunch, and then Transfiguration that Naruto could finally have talk to Shino alone. Both the Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were on break, so they decided to disregard the more appealing Room of Requirement for an empty tower, one without portraits, that they doubted anyone would come by. Naruto was sprawled out on a chair, while Shino sat far more formally on his.

"So. We've got lots to talk about...don't we?" Shino nodded, "Where to begin?"

"Let's start with what I walked in on. How likely are you to lose control?" The silent 'again' hung in the air, and Naruto had the grace to look a little sheepish.

"I _think_ I'm good. I had a nice long chat with the Kyuubi last night, and he's agreed to try not to go after her, unless she get's bad. Last night was just well....not a good situation."

"And if you find out someone else hurt him? Or if they do it now? Are you going to kill them? I won't always be there to stop you, and as unprepared as she was, your chakra alone could have done serious damage to someone else."

Naruto frowned, "I don't know. I'm not planning to kill anyone else, if that's what you mean. Last night was just, shocking, and she's a host like me. Kyuubi already wanted to take care of her a bit. That was just the breaking point." He frowned, "Going to have to have a long talk with him." He muttered, tapping his forehead. "Sasuke's a big boy, he can take care of himself, after all."

Shino sighed, running a hand through his hair, "Yes. Because it will be noticed if people who hurt him happen to drop dead." Naruto laughed, "And we do have another issue..."

"Such as we either need to give Lexi some training before one of us winds up killing her, she loses control, or we wind up ditching her?"

"Something along those lines. Any ideas?"

"Well, we could throw her into Sasuke's training. Work her onto building up her reserves, and actively controlling her chakra instead of letting the Nibi take control." He mused, "She probably wouldn't mind using the Kikai and maybe some chakra blocks to force her own chakra out that badly." He paused, "She does know about the Kikai...right?"

Shino nodded, "Yes, and the Kyuubi. After last night I was hard pressed to be worried about any secrets."

"How'd she handle it?"

"She was shocked, I'm shocked she was responsive after that. I had her explain what happened when you snapped. I explained to her the way I stopped you, and the Kikai. That distracted her."

"She was shocked I take it?"

"Yes. They didn't bother her though..." He seemed fairly satisfied with that, and Naruto grinned.

"Good to hear." One more person that didn't think of his clan as a group of bug freaks. "And then?"

"I told her about you. You need to talk to her about that. I pointed out the Kyuubi wasn't fond of her Nibi. She might be under the impression you're going to kill her."

"Well what'd you do that for?"

"Because honestly, it looked like it. And I'd rather she at least be prepared if you were mad once you were....unoccupied."

Naruto laughed, "And that brings up the _other_ part of last night...."

Shino shook his head. "Just stop. Now."

* * *

Charms was their next class, and Shino and Naruto had just finished their conversation, and had been forced to subtly shunshin in order to make it to their class in time. They'd only done it in abandoned hallways, and the Kikai hadn't reported seeing anyone nearby when they'd done it, but Shino was still just a little tense, a little paranoid that they'd somehow be ratted out, despite having started and ended them away from portraits as well. It was shinobi instinct, and one that had kept many alive.

Naruto smiled, seeing his Gryffindor (and one Slytherin) friends sitting in a group together. A little away from them was Lexi, and Naruto couldn't help but wonder if it was preference or force that motivated her to be away from others. She'd never seemed to mind Shino, but he was quiet, she knew Sasuke well, and honestly, she wasn't with Naruto all that much; he'd been mostly been preoccupied with Sasuke.

Naruto shoved Shino lightly towards the group of Gryffindors, walking over to Lexi. "C'mon Kitty-Cat. Join the group. We're awesome you know."

Lexi just raised an eyebrow, looking just a little suspicious. Great, her own paranoia and Shino's warning, she'd never trust him.

He held out his hand, "Seriously, I mean it. Come join us." He waited, "I wanna make it up to you, so I'm going to harass you until I'm forgiven or you learn to trust me. Start now and it'll be a lot less painful."

It was with a sigh, that she neglected his hand, but stood up. Naruto slung an arm around her shoulders, "You and me, Kitty-cat. You'll see, once we get over some...issues...we'll be fine."

* * *

**I know, I know. I don't think it's up to par. But it's late, I'm tired, and not nearly satisfied with this. But it's against my morals to go this long without an update, let alone another week. So...I apologize.**

**All the goodies in the world to to my AMAZING! reviewers.**

**~CP  
**


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